<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Fallen (for you) by KilLinggames</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25749847">Fallen (for you)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/KilLinggames/pseuds/KilLinggames'>KilLinggames</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shadowhunters (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - This World Inverted (Shadowhunters TV), Anal Sex, Angst, Barebacking, Biting, Bondage, Bottom Magnus Bane, Cock Piercing, Come Eating, Come Sharing, Demon Alec Lightwood, Facials, Forced Orgasm, Hair-pulling, Happy Ending, M/M, Magnus is very bendy, Manhandling, Minor Character Death, Multiple Orgasms, Nipple Clamps, Panty Kink, Rimming, Rough Sex, Spreader Bars, Strippers &amp; Strip Clubs, Stripping, Top Alec Lightwood, Vibrators, Warlock Magnus Bane</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:42:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>24,895</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25749847</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/KilLinggames/pseuds/KilLinggames</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Alec’s eyes closed, the simple movement slow and calculated. </p><p>When he opened them again, his eyes had changed. Where before they were a beautiful clear hazel, they were now all black; no hazel, no white, just inky blackness from corner to corner. Magnus’s face paled instantly at the sight, fear rising in his gut. </p><p>Demon.</p><p>“W-wait. What did you do to the Lightwood boy? Is he-is he dead?” Magnus asked, fearing for the confident, sexy event planner he had met earlier that evening at the Institute party. </p><p>“There has never been another Alec Lightwood."</p><p>Magnus let the implications of that statement sink in. Demons had been eradicated from this realm centuries ago. If this one had survived, living and blending in among mortals...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>258</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Hunter's Moon Creation Exchange</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Fallen (for you)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kezcakes/gifts">Kezcakes</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hope you like my gift to you, Kezcakes!!! &lt;3 &lt;3 &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    
  </p>
</div><div class="center">
  <p>
(Credit to the wonderful <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/NvrLndBoi/pseuds/NvrLndBoi">NvrLndBoi</a> for the beautiful edit of Alec's demony pretty!)
</p>
</div><p>
  <em>
    <span>Damn, I’m good. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Alec thought as he surveyed the party he had planned for Clary’s father, Valentine. Just then, he heard the grating sound of Raj’s voice at the entrance and looked over. In a way, Raj was the perfect person to check people for invites at the door. He was a stickler for the rules, and his off-putting personality easily discouraged party crashers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, the man at the door made him take more than a passing glance. He was definitely Asian, but of which origin Alec wasn’t too sure. His face held a certain boyish charm, cute like the boy next door. But it was what Alec, and only Alec, could see beyond that that truly pulled him in. He could see that he was a warlock, and a pretty powerful one at that; but his magic was crusted and crystallized from being out of use for too long. And what he could see of the man’s soul… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Putting on his most confident persona, he sauntered over to them, giving the man a slow and very obvious once over, raking his eyes up and down his form. He stared back, an unreadable expression on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What seems to be the problem?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This one wants to crash the party,” Raj replied, face smug. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be responsible for this one. Come on in.” Alec said with a little smirk on his lips. He turned around and walked quickly back into the party, confident that the man would follow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He picked up two teacups full of long island iced tea, and turned around to find that he was right; the man had indeed followed him. Putting on a smug smile, he handed one of the teacups over. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To us.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man still seemed struck speechless and confused but took his lead (</span>
  <em>
    <span>Cute</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Alec thought.) </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then he seemed to suddenly lose interest, distracted by something or someone he saw within the throng of people around them.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you are?” Alec asked, trying to bring the man’s attention back onto himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Magnus Bane.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alec Lightwood.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, but I gotta go.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It appeared that Alec hadn’t been successful after all. He watched, admiring the view, as Magnus briskly walked away. But Alec didn’t mind. He was willing to play the long game, and knew from the awed look that had been in Magnus’s eyes that his interest was reciprocated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Playing hard to get. I love a challenge.” He smirked into his cup and settled down to watch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus walked up towards Clary and used his magic to conjure holographic images of cats. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What the hell is that about? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Something was definitely up with those two. He had noticed earlier that day, at Java Jace’s, that Clary smelled different. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Nephilim blood. </span>
  </em>
  <span>A part of him feared that this heralded the revival of the Nephilim and the shadowhunters; those who had the will and capacity to kill him and his kind. But he’d decided to watch and wait, unwilling to take action just yet. After all, it could still be nothing and Isabelle would be upset if he’d decided to kill her longtime friend with no concrete proof. Alec had been alive for literal eons; he could be patient. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He watched as Magnus and Clary then walked into the basement. Alec headed towards the bathrooms, and followed after. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Magnus unlocked the door to his loft and walked in. He felt a little odd after the events of the day. On one hand, he was exhausted and glad that the entire ordeal was over. On the other hand, he was thrilled to finally be able to feel his magic again, and that made him feel energized. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, is the nephilim gone for good?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus jumped. He spun around, heart rate beating double time and adrenaline pumping through his veins. The voice was familiar, but what the heck could the pretty boy </span>
  <em>
    <span>event planner </span>
  </em>
  <span>he’d just met that day be doing at his loft, and at this hour? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A-Alec! What...?” He paused. “Wait, are you stalking me?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec was lounging on his couch, stretched out in a way that showcased all the elegant, long lines of his body. His neck was arched back, one leg hanging off the side of the couch (</span>
  <em>
    <span>Do they ever stop, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Magnus wondered). In one hand he held a martini, obviously made right there in Magnus’s loft. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec must have noticed Magnus checking him out, because his lips pulled up into yet another annoying smirk (that Magnus definitely did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> find attractive). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stalking is such a strong word, with a lot of negative connotations. Really, I just wanted to see you again.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And... you decided that breaking and entering was the best way to do that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not breaking and entering. Well, entering yes.” Alec gave Magnus another long look up and down his body, innuendo clear in his tone. Magnus blushed pink to the tips of his ears, and felt grateful for the dim lighting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I came by and realized you weren’t here, so I decided to make myself at home while I waited for you. If one must wait, one should at least wait in style and comfort.” He released an over-dramatic sigh and stretched himself wider across the couch like a cat. Magnus couldn’t help but find himself staring at the strip of skin revealed as Alec’s shirt slipped out of his slacks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You-you can’t just </span>
  <em>
    <span>enter people’s homes without being invited. </span>
  </em>
  <span>How did you even get in here, rich boy learnt to pick a lock during his rebel phase?” It took a while, but Magnus eventually remembered that the man was an </span>
  <em>
    <span>intruder. </span>
  </em>
  <span>In his </span>
  <em>
    <span>home. </span>
  </em>
  <span>That was rude, creepy, and perhaps even terrifying, no matter how pretty he was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec didn’t respond immediately, slowly and leisurely sitting up on the couch. He shot Magnus an intense gaze, making sure he had Magnus’s full attention. Magnus watched, transfixed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec’s eyes closed, the simple movement slow and calculated. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he opened them again, his eyes had changed. Where before they were a beautiful clear hazel, they were now all black; no hazel, no white, just inky blackness from corner to corner. Magnus’s face paled instantly at the sight, fear rising in his gut. </span>
</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    
  </p>
</div><div class="center">
  <p>
(Created by the amazing <a href="https://koryandr.tumblr.com/post/623418791301447680/thank-magnus-alec-is-lying-that-he-didnt-get-a">Koryandr</a>)
  </p>
</div><p>
  <em>
    <span>Demon.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now that I have your attention… The nephilim. Tell me about her.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Magnus stuttered out, heart pounding half out of his chest. It couldn’t be. This was impossible. Demons were gone from this world, and he’d only seen the one demon emerge from the portal. Had another escaped into this dimension while he wasn’t looking? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, a thought came to him that chilled him to his bones. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“W-wait. What did you do to the Lightwood boy? Is he-is he dead?” Magnus asked, not entirely certain he even wanted to know the answer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec just chuckled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There has never been another Alec Lightwood, Magnus. You can rest assured.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not just a demon then, a </span>
  <em>
    <span>greater </span>
  </em>
  <span>demon, to have such a human-looking corporeal form.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus let the implications of that statement sink in. If what the demon had said was true, that meant that it belonged to this universe, and hadn’t snuck in through that portal. But that was impossible! Demons had been eradicated from this realm centuries ago. If this one had survived, living and blending in among mortals, then Magnus didn’t even dare imagine how many others could have done the same. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It also meant that this Alec was the one he’d met earlier that night, the one he had felt instantly attracted to; a connection to. He felt so stupid, so disgusted with himself. How did he not know? How did he not know just how close he was, to something that could kill him with a single thought. Once upon a time, he would have been able to distinguish a demon from a mundane instantly. What had he let himself become?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The nephilim, Magnus.” Alec’s voice was hard, impatient. Magnus realized he’d been silent for too long. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“G-gone. I sealed the portal. They’re not coming back.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The corners of Alec’s lips turned up into a bright, satisfied smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” He stood up off the couch, and began to move towards Magnus. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait. Wait! What are you doing, stay back!” But Alec didn’t listen and kept moving forwards, closer and closer even as Magnus moved as far back as he could. His back hit the wall and Alec still kept coming closer, finally trapping him against the wall. Alec’s eyes flicked down onto the warlock’s lips. He held his body bare centimetres apart from Magnus, but didn’t touch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wh-what do you want? What are you going to do to me?” Magnus breathed, too terrified to move a single muscle. Alec leaned in, breath hot against Magnus’s ear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing.” He stepped back then, teeth bared in a mischievous grin that made Magnus want to smack it off his face. But a small part of him was disappointed, having </span>
  <span><strike>hoped for</strike> </span>
  <span>expected more. He quickly tamped that part of himself down, but with minimal success. His feelings were all over the place, and Magnus cursed his libido that had chosen the absolute </span>
  <em>
    <span>worst</span>
  </em>
  <span> time to decide to reemerge. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well. I’ll be seeing you, Magnus.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please don’t.” Magnus replied in a small voice, but Alec merely shot him a bright grin as he walked out of the loft, waving his hand behind him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus didn’t get much sleep that night, staying awake past the morning light, poring over old books on protection spells to ward his loft against more unwanted ‘guests’. At the height of his power, he could have just used his magic but weak as it was right now, he needed the help of potions and rituals to do so. He really shouldn’t have abstained from magic for this long, he thought bitterly. Perhaps he could have easily defeated the demon, instead of being as helpless as he was. He would have at least noticed its presence, noticed what the charming man really was; both at the party and in his loft. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello!” Alec appeared out of nowhere, startling Magnus enough that he dropped some of his groceries onto the floor. He glared at Alec. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leave me alone, demon.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec mocked hurt, but his eyes were amused as he just </span>
  <em>
    <span>stood there </span>
  </em>
  <span>while Magnus picked up the bananas he’d dropped. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a name, you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I very well know. And I’m not going to use it. It’s probably not your real name anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm well. That’s both correct and incorrect. It’s not my first name, sure. But it’s the only one that really matters now. Besides, is Magnus Bane </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> first name?” Magnus didn’t know how to respond to that, and so he stayed silent. </span>
</p><p><span>“Anyway, feeling brave today, are we?” Alec asked, pointing at Magnus’s eyes. In fact, Magnus </span><em><span>had </span></em><span>been</span> <span>feeling particularly brave today, and was sporting some eyeliner, a tiny hint of his old confidence returning. The return of his magic had brought with it some of Magnus’s old excitement for the extravagant. But he refused to admit anything to the demon. </span></p><p>
  <span>They passed by a woman just standing in the middle of the sidewalk, blocking everyone’s way as she sipped her iced coffee. Alec casually reached over and flicked at the back of the cup, causing ice-cold liquid to spill all over her face and she yelped, looking around wildly for the culprit. Alec snorted in amusement and walked on with a little smirk on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus’s eyes widened, horrified. He rushed over to her, apologizing and trying to offer her a napkin. But she just glared at him and shooed him away. Magnus turned to Alec angrily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why did you have to do that?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because it’s fun.” Alec grinned. Magnus was highly irritated. Even for a demon, that was childish and petty behavior. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop following me around, demon.” At this, Magnus thought he spotted some genuine disappointment in the slight downturn of Alec’s lips. He decided that he must be imagining things, and chose to ignore it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And why would I do that, Magnus?” Alec said his name softly, sensuously. It sent a shiver down Magnus’s spine. But he steeled himself, suddenly angry that this demon chose him to play mind games with. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just go away, or else.” He spat out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or else what?” Alec grinned toothily. But his eyes were sharp and implied a well of danger behind them. “Are you going to entrap me, Magnus? Kill me, maybe? Do you think you could?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus stuttered, not knowing what to say. In reality, there really wasn’t much he could do. He could try a demon trapping ritual, but with his magic so low and no other warlocks to help him it was unlikely he’d actually succeed in trapping a greater demon like Alec. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fineee.” Alec pouted, “I don’t want to stick around while you carry out some no doubt boring errands anyway.” And then Alec just… disappeared, on the spot. Magnus looked around wildly, hoping nobody had spotted him. But the mundanes all walked on, seemingly unaware that anything had happened at all. Alec must have glamoured himself invisible the entire time, and Magnus blushed red at the thought of how crazy he must have looked, talking to himself. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Over the next few weeks, Alec would randomly appear while Magnus was out, but never again in his loft. His new wards must be working. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec always appeared suddenly, and disappeared just as suddenly. Magnus didn’t even know demons could </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>that. Perhaps it was just a perk of Alec being a greater demon, or a skill unique to Alec himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every single time, Magnus would watch as Alec messed with the mundanes around him. Sometimes he was visible, and just laughed at them when they started yelling at him or tried to pick a fight. And sometimes he was invisible, making Magnus feel like he was the one to blame for every mishap that befell them. It irked Magnus to no end, but he was horrified to find that he was actually getting used to it, slowly getting accustomed to Alec’s shenanigans. It was even a little funny to think of Alec, a greater demon, resorting to childish pranks to pass the time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>During that time, Magnus also started getting bolder and bolder with his clothing choices and overall appearance. He’d started applying eyeshadow, and wearing more color in his jackets. He’d also started wearing patterned shirts again, with little hints of gold lining the seams. He considered putting on his old jewelry, or maybe some magenta streaks in his hair, but didn’t think he was quite there yet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>On one particular morning, Alec appeared as Magnus was walking towards the coffee shop around the corner from his loft. He had a client coming in later that day, one he knew would be a lot to handle, and needed a shot of something extra sugary, glittery, and heavily caffeinated to get through the meeting. Perhaps as some sort of advance reward for even bothering to deal with them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you want, demon?” It had been a month or so since Alec started following him around, but Magnus had never actually relented to calling Alec by his name. Alec looked put out every single time he did it, and Magnus </span>
  <strike>
    <span>was beginning to find it cute</span>
  </strike>
  <span> found it satisfying that he could rile up the greater demon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why do you ask me that every single time? I told you, I like spending time with you.” Alec said, eyes trailing up and down Magnus’s body, completely ruining his attempt at faux innocence. Magnus sighed; he was in no mood today to deal with Alec’s shit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What will it take for you to leave me alone?” He bit out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec was quick to answer, as if he had just been waiting for Magnus to utter those words. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go on a date with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus stilled so suddenly that a mundane walking right behind him nearly bowled him over. Magnus turned and apologized profusely as the mundane glared at him and walked away. He sighed, then turned back to find Alec snickering under his breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. Not a chance.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, looks like I’ll just keep hanging around and tagging along with you whenever then,” Alec said, smiling brightly and seeming entirely unbothered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus let out a frustrated sigh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about $20? Will you leave me alone for $20? Just for the day?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not a chance!” Alec said, bouncing on his heels. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How about a hundred?” Alec didn’t even bother to reply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus wanted to scream. He couldn’t deal with this shit right now. Alec’s usual smiles, which he more often than not found </span>
  <strike>
    <span>charming</span>
  </strike>
  <span> tolerable nowadays, just made him feel more and more irritated. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine, fine. I’ll go on a date with you. </span>
  <em>
    <span>One </span>
  </em>
  <span>date, and then you’ll leave me alone right? Starting right the fuck now.” Alec was silent, but shot him a self-satisfied smile and disappeared, but not before knocking over an entire rack of newspapers off the stand right beside them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus covered his face with his hands, and went to help the poor newspaper man pick them all up and place them back on the stand. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Magnus was walking out of his apartment, he saw a note stuck to the outside of his door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Park, 4 PM. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wear something casual, but fabulous. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>XOXO, Alec</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help the fond quirk of his lips. He quickly turned it into a frown after realizing what he was doing. He ran out in a hurry because well, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>make a promise, and so he needed to hurry if he was going to have lunch and then finish running all his errands before getting back home to pick an outfit. He only had 5 hours. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>The weather was sunny out, but at 4 PM the sun wasn’t too bright and the breeze helped keep the weather cool enough to be pleasant. Magnus had debated for an entire hour before he decided to dress a little more </span>
  <em>
    <span>extra </span>
  </em>
  <span>than he usually did. His eyes were once again lined, and he’d even added a touch of white glitter shadow to the inner corners of his eyes. He’d worn a new shirt he found, uncollared and low-cut, a dark maroon with a golden filigree pattern, and black skinny jeans. He looked </span>
  <em>
    <span>damn </span>
  </em>
  <span>good, if he did say so himself. He didn’t know why he felt the need to dress up for the demon. Maybe he just felt like he needed to show off, just this once, when their meeting was planned instead of a random occurrence according to Alec’s whims. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus arrived about 15 minutes late to the park, not wanting to appear too eager. Alec was already there, sitting on a picnic blanket. He waved Magnus over, a big smile on his face. He was dressed in a bright blue polo shirt and slacks, his hair gelled artfully on his head. It was a simple outfit, but it hugged all the right curves and made Magnus’s heart beat faster anyway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes. Sure you’re not dressed for clubbing instead?” Alec teased. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I dressed fabulous.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec chuckled. “That you did, pretty boy. That you did. Come, sit down.” Alec patted the only empty space on the blanket, right beside him. Magnus rolled his eyes, </span>
  <em>
    <span>of course, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but complied. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Magnus was seated on the blanket, Alec handed him a glass of chilled wine. The blanket was laid out with all manner of food that had Magnus’s mouth watering. There was cream cheese with chives, smoked salmon, a variety of cold cuts, and several different types of bread. There were also olives, salads, grapes, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>was that foie gras canapes? </span>
  </em>
  <span>The spread was, for the most part, simple. And yet, it seemed somehow also luxurious. Magnus took a sip of his wine to wet his lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They talked as they ate, the conversation surprisingly easy. Magnus found that Alec was almost more knowledgeable than him when it came to mundanes, despite Magnus having lived on Earth a lot longer than Alec had, 400 years to Alec’s 200. Alec spoke with unexpected passion in his tone, no matter the subject. It was surprisingly… normal, mundane. Pleasant. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus was surprised by how many sides to Alexander there was, that he was just now discovering. He wasn’t just the annoying, sassy, childishly petty demon who kept following him around everywhere.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec talked most passionately about his siblings, both adopted and otherwise. He told Magnus that Isabelle was actually a fellow demon, which surprised him greatly. From the little he’d seen of Isabelle, and with how Alec described her, she seemed as far from being a demon as he could imagine. This made Magnus skeptical to the truth of Alec’s words, but the way Alec’s eyes lit up when he talked about her made Magnus wonder…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They reached a lull in their conversation, the silence somehow comfortable instead of awkward. But it left Magnus feeling conflicted, uncharacteristically sober despite the multiple glasses of wine they’d imbibed that night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alexander, answer me truthfully, please.” Alec looked up, concerned. He nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why did you start following me around? I mean, why me?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec was quiet for a moment, face turning more serious than Magnus had ever seen it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Even as someone with demon blood, you've got one of the most beautiful souls I've ever seen. It's a little twisted, and a lot broken. And yet it still shines, so bright. Full of light, of hope. Magnus Bane, you are easily the most stunning person I’ve ever met, both on the inside and out." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus began to panic at his words. Alec could see his actual </span>
  <em>
    <span>soul? </span>
  </em>
  <span>And what more, he actually found it beautiful? Worthy?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That can’t-that can’t be true.” He shook his head vigorously. “I’ve done so many things, so many things I’m not proud of. I’ve hurt people, both enemies and friends. How could you say that?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec brought his arms around Magnus, but Magnus pulled away. He was afraid, afraid to believe Alec’s words, because it couldn’t be true. It just </span>
  <em>
    <span>couldn’t. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He felt like he couldn’t breathe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you’ve done so much since. So much, much more than you had to, if you were only trying to make up for your sins.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus blushed, unable to meet Alec’s eyes. He hadn’t expected such a sincere and genuine answer from Alec. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Besides, it doesn’t hurt that that beautiful soul comes in such delicious packaging.” And… the moment was ruined. Magnus looked up, intending to glare at the infuriating demon. But Alec’s expression now was full of intense heat, and Magnus couldn’t help but flick his eyes down to his lips, darting his tongue out to lick his own. Alec leaned in even closer, breath hot against Magnus’s ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wonder how you’d taste</span>
  <em>
    <span>."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus felt a shiver of need run down his spine, and the dam broke. He could no longer deny his intense attraction towards the demon. </span>
  <em>
    <span>His </span>
  </em>
  <span>demon now, perhaps. His guilt for this sort of attraction hadn’t gone away, but he felt the last of his walls, the last of his defenses, crumble away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned his head to face Alec, and removed the distance between their lips. And Alec… Alec was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>good kisser. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Magnus looked at himself in the mirror, putting the final touches on his eyeliner. He bit his lip, angling his head from side to side to check that it was even. His makeup was perfect, but wasn’t too outrageous. He had on just a hint of eyeliner and white glitter shadow on his waterline. His hair was done up with magenta streaks, and he’d put on clear lip gloss. It certainly wasn’t his tamest look, but it wasn’t as extreme as he sometimes went these days when he met up with Alec for a date.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec was coming over in a little bit. They were going to meet Alec’s sister Isabelle and her friends for dinner and drinks. He was both excited and very nervous. He wondered what kind of people Alec generally surrounded himself with. He’d heard a lot about Izzy of course, and she seemed like an amazing person (Magnus didn’t know how much he believed Alec in this, however, since Isabelle was also a greater demon), but little about the others: Clary (whom he’d met, but not the one from this universe), Simon, and Jace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Either way, he wanted to make a good impression; it just wasn’t the time for sexy. Pretty, though? Yes, always, because he’d started making himself up again and now he couldn’t bear to go without his stripes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He deliberated on whether he should apply a bit of lipstick, maybe just a little bit of light bronze? But nah, perhaps it’d be a bit much for a first impression. He sat back. There really wasn’t anything else to be done. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Alec still wasn’t there yet. He looked at the time to find that he still had another half an hour or so until Alec said he’d be there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He got to thinking about their relationship. It had been… surprisingly uncomplicated thus far. Alec made him feel relaxed and happy. Calm? There was so much more to the demon than Magnus had ever given him credit for. He still couldn’t really get over the fact that he was a demon, the epitome of all evil (or that was what he thought for a long time anyway), but he was slowly beginning to let Alec in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sometimes, this was the thought that scared him the most.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Alec… Alec was sweet. He didn’t think so, at first. Alec was always so full of confidence and bravado, especially at the beginning. But they’d been dating for a few months now and Magnus was beginning to see more of than just that side of him. There was always a… glint of something in his eyes, yes; dangerous and unsettling. But there was also something so playful and almost childish in his delight. Alec was sometimes petty, but surprisingly kind when he didn’t expect him to be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They were at a food fair in the park, and had spent the last few hours just sampling everything. They were strolling around taking in the sights while Magnus tried to digest whatever food he’d already consumed to make some space in his stomach to try other things. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Then Alec stuck a foot out as a teenager rushed by on his skateboard. The kid was catapulted forward, hitting the pavement with a painful thud. Magnus’s eyes widened in shock, turning to Alec accusingly. But Alec just shot back his most innocent look, as if that could ever fool anybody.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The kid groaned and picked himself up slowly. He turned around, rage evident in every muscle and on the color of his face. He stalked up towards Alec, pushing him backwards. Or well, tried to anyway. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You fucking asshole old man! Who do you think you are I’m going to fucking sue you! Do you know who my father is?” The kid yelled. Alec just smirked at him amused, not saying anything and not budging even an inch as the kid repeatedly tried to push him back. It was clear that he was getting increasingly frustrated, his face turning quickly into an alarming shade of purple. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The kid made the mistake of trying to punch Alec in the face, but at that point Alec had had enough. It wasn’t amusing anymore, and he caught the kid’s wrist in a vice-like grip before it could reach his face. At first, the boy tried to struggle away, but his expression gradually turned more and more fearful as realization dawned that he was trapped, Alec’s grip strong and steady as if his hand around his wrist was anchored to the very Earth they stood on. He looked up at Alec with trepidation. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Alec smiled a slow, evil smirk and for just a moment, his eyes bled black. He inched his face closer towards the now trembling boy who was struggling harder than ever now to release his hand.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“This was just a taste, Stanley.” Alec raised his index finger to his lips in a shushing motion, as if sharing a secret, and gave the boy a wink before finally releasing him. He immediately ran off, not even bothering to retrieve his skateboard. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Magnus was silent throughout the entire exchange, everything happening faster than he thought possible. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Why-why would you do that!” He turned accusing eyes back on Alec, who just shrugged nonchalantly in response. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Nasty boy.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What did he ever do to you!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Nothing. But he did push his sister.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What! That’s not a good enough reason. And how would you know that anyway?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Down the stairs.” Alec replied, deadpan. “And I know everything.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Magnus’s eyes widened in fear. What did Alec know of him, of his secrets, things he hadn’t been brave enough to reveal to anyone or even think about for himself in a long time. Seeing that, Alec quickly backtracked. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hey relax, relax. I don’t actually know </span>
  </em>
  <span>everything, okay</span>
  <em>
    <span>? I can only sense a few very recent misdeeds, and I do get a general idea of their place in the balance by the shade of their soul.” Magnus was relieved, but only minimally. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“That’s… that’s terrible.” He said, unsure if he was referring to the boy, or to Alec’s ability to see the balance of souls.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yeah, I know. So young still too. Who knows? Maybe scaring him would get him to turn his life around.” Alec said, trying to lighten the mood. However, it was clear he didn’t actually believe what he was saying. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Magnus frowned but stayed silent. He didn’t really agree, thinking that Alec was being too cruel on the boy. He was reminded, again, of Alec’s nature. He decided to ignore this for now (</span>
  </em>
  <span>selfish, selfish, </span>
  <em>
    <span>his mind whispered. </span>
  </em>
  <span>You’re ignoring this, just so you can keep him). </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh Merlin a Padang food stand!” Magnus called out in a slightly overexaggerated manner, spotting an Indonesian food stand. He knew he was none-too-subtly trying to change the subject, but he was also genuinely excited. He hadn’t had any Indonesian food in a long time, being generally too lazy to cook. There was a time he could easily have zipped over to Batavia (now Jakarta) and grab something before returning to his loft. But those times were long gone. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He hoped that the food sold there would be authentic, and not the hybrid-fusion type he found in most places. It was so hard to get authentic ethnic food in New York, especially those not belonging to the big, majorly well-known countries. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hallo! What would you like? </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Ada sampler gitu gak? Semuanya pengen, tapi seharian udah keliling coba-coba makanan, perutku tidak muat.” (Do you have a sampler? I want to order everything but I’ve been going around trying everything all day, there’s not enough space in my stomach.) </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh! Orang Indo toh? Siip, sip. Salam kenal, nama gue Rama.” (Oh you’re Indonesian? Alright! Nice to meet you, my name is Rama.) </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Magnus.” He smiled. “Ini pacar saya, Alexander.” (This is my boyfriend, Alexander). </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Wuih, ganteng yah?” (Wow, he’s handsome). Rama winked. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Terima kasih.” Alec beamed back, giving Rama wink in return. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Eh? Lo bisa bahasa? Hebat, hebat.” (Eh? You can speak Indonesian? Great, great.) Rama exclaimed, clapping his hands together clearly excited. “Hampir gak ada aksen lagi. Pernah tinggal di Indo yah?” (Almost no accent too. You’ve lived in Indonesia before?)</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Alec just nodded, and Rama turned to Magnus with a big smile as his hands continued putting together the sampler plate for Magnus. “He’s a catch, dude. Really.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Magnus gave a polite laugh, uncertain about that and not wanting to lie.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Rama handed him their food, and Magnus took a bite of the rendang, moaning at the taste. This was truly the good stuff. He handed the plate over to Alec, who mirrored his appreciation for the dish.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Waduhh. Enak banget. Kamu asli Padang?” (Wow that’s so good. You’re originally from Padang?).</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Bukan, tapi bokap iya, punya restoran Padang di Jakarta. Belajar dari dia.” (I’m not, but my dad is. He has a Padang restaurant in Jakarta, I learnt from him.) </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hebat, hebat.” (Great, great.) Magnus smiled, handing over the payment for it. “Well, I better head on. Lots more to see. Thank you!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You’re welcome.” Rama handed him a business card. “Bisa telpon gue di nomor ini. Gak ada restoran sendiri tapi kadang gue terima pre-order dari rumah. Yah buat nambah-nambah duit lah. Bayar kuliah.” (You can call me at this number. I don’t have my own restaurant but I’ll take pre-orders from home. Just to supplement my income to help pay for university).</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.” Magnus waved and turned to walk on, but not before noticing Alec slip a few hundred dollar bills into the corner of Rama’s food stand. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Why did you do that?” Magnus asked as they walked away. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Alec shrugged. “I taketh and I giveth.” He beamed cheekily. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Magnus slapped his shoulder lightly. “Really, why?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“He’s a nice kid. Besides, he clearly needs it.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Magnus didn’t say anything more, but felt his heart lighten. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sometimes, though, Alec would get somber, serious, giving Magnus a peak at the millenia of experience Alec must have lived despite his mostly young and childish demeanor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Alec. What does your soul look like?” Magnus had asked. It bothered him, sometimes. How transparent he must be to the demon, to someone who could see into his soul. He couldn’t forget the way Alec had described his soul, as something beautiful and to be cherished, and couldn't help but be curious about Alec’s own. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Alec’s mood instantly went grave and serious, when just a moment before he was smiling and joking around, being silly like he most often was. He looked down at their joined hands before looking back up at Magnus’s eyes. Magnus felt slightly guilty. Perhaps the question was too personal, too invasive? But he wanted—no—</span>
  </em>
  <span>needed</span>
  <em>
    <span> to know.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Magnus,” He said; gently, as if this conversation was fragile glass. “No part of me is human. I don’t have a soul.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Magnus stopped walking, shocked. He supposed he should have expected that answer. He’d wanted to be reassured, but the answer only made him feel more unsettled. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Alec gazed upon his face, his own face full of resigned understanding. His voice went even quieter as he continued. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“When humans die, their souls go somewhere. Heaven, hell, somewhere else. But angels, and demons. When we die, truly die, our energy just dissipates into the ether. We just… cease to exist.” He said, face inscrutable; voiced it in such a matter of fact manner, as if he was trying to ease the idea in gently for Magnus’s sake.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m sorry.” Magnus was devastated. His eyes filled with pity, the feeling overtaking his discomfort at the revelation. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Alec looked away, refusing to meet his gaze, and pulled at Magnus’s hand to urge him to keep walking. They continued on their regular path, and pretended the conversation hadn’t happened at all. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus was reminded, once again, that despite how human and young Alec looked, he was anything but. He thought he was old, but Alec… Alec had existed literally since the beginning of time. He’d only seen hints and quick glimpses of it thus far, and wondered whether he’d ever get to understand the full picture. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Probably not. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Because despite how open Alec seemed at times, he knew there must be a deep well of experience, of secrets, that Alec would never reveal to him. That he might never understand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus shook his head, trying to shake the sombre thoughts away. He didn’t have time for this, Alec would be arriving any minute now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And right on cue, he did; sweeping into the room like he owned the place. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ready to go, pretty boy?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Magnus smiled as he walked to the door. He reached up to give Alec a quick kiss, but Alec grabbed at his waist and pulled him into a deeper one. He growled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How dare you look so delicious when I can’t have you.” Alec whispered into his ear. Magnus sniggered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, not the time. You promised your sister, we can’t just keep skipping all our dinner reservations. Or at least, not this one.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec groaned but pulled back, conceding the argument.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They walked out the door, hand in hand. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alexander—what? No. No I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>going in there.” Magnus tried to pull his hand away from Alec’s hold. But Alec was </span>
  <em>
    <span>strong. </span>
  </em>
  <span>All of Magnus’s pulling didn’t move him even an inch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, I promise you’ll have fun, alright? I’ve got a surprise planned.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alec, this is a </span>
  <em>
    <span>strip club. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Also, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>hate </span>
  </em>
  <span>surprises.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll like this one, I promise. Now </span>
  <em>
    <span>come. On!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Alec kept pulling him into the club, and Magnus reluctantly followed. When Alec said that they were going out, he’d thought they were going out for dinner, maybe a bit of dancing later on in the night. Not… not </span>
  <em>
    <span>this. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He should have at least gotten some dinner first. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, did we at least get a table?” Magnus asked, struggling through the crowd of bodies. He took a quick glance around. There were strippers of all shapes and sizes at the club—male, female, and anywhere throughout the gender spectrum. He spared a thought to appreciate the diverse, equal opportunity nature of the place, but didn’t really linger on any of the bodies on display. Nothing he hadn’t seen before, after all, and intimately. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course.” Alec scoffed, doing an impression of a snooty rich person. “Only the best for moi.” Magnus couldn’t hold back his smile at Alec’s antics, and followed him to… the stage? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because their table was right up there, next to the stage. Magnus was officially back to annoyed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did we have to sit right up here? I mean, I have a healthy enough sex drive-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And don’t I know it.” Alec winked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus rolled his eyes. “But if all I wanted to see was naked people dancing I could have done so online, from the comfort of my own couch.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He paused and tapped on his chin, pretending to be deep in thought, but his mischievous grin gave him away. “Or made you do it for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec shot him a cheeky grin but didn’t reply, knowing that Magnus was just complaining for the sake of complaining. He knew Magnus didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>mind, he was enjoying himself well enough, being in his company. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, let’s get something to eat and a few drinks. This place actually has some pretty delicious wings.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They sat down and waved a waitress over. They placed their orders of 50 spicy wings with a side of fries (</span>
  <em>
    <span>“You’ll thank me later, I promise.”</span>
  </em>
  <span>), as well as a sangria for Magnus and something called a godfather for Alec. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Starting strong, I see?” Magnus asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm, of course. How else would you do it?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They ate their wings with their fingers (the only </span>
  <em>
    <span>proper</span>
  </em>
  <span> way to do so) and Magnus was surprised to find himself having a good time despite their location. The food was surprisingly good; Alec hadn’t lied about that. The music wasn’t too loud, and they weren’t disturbed by the blonde dancing on stage (probably because she could see that their fingers were greasy and singles weren’t worth getting spicy chicken grease in her underwear). Alec made him laugh more than he remembered doing in a long time, going around the room describing and making up little stories about the people in the room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They finished their wings and cleaned up a little. They ordered another few rounds of drinks, Magnus ordering drinks with higher and higher alcohol content as the night wore on. Alec was downing shots like nobody’s business, but Magnus guessed it must take a lot to get a divine being to feel even a little bit tipsy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You see that guy there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gigantic sunglasses?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec sniggered. “Yeah. Probably watched too many superhero movies, that one. If it doesn’t work on celebrities, it won’t work for you, mister.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus’s lips flicked up in a small smile, and was about to open his mouth to reply when the announcer’s voice blasted through the speakers and Alec turned away to look at the stage. What could be so interesting that it took away his attention when he hadn’t seemed to care thus far? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ladies and gentlemen. I am excited to announce that today, we have with us a very special guest! Please welcome to the stage for the first time, AleXXXander!!!” Magnus laughed, turning to Alec to tease him about how that should be </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> stripper name, only to find that Alec had stood up and was climbing on to the stage. He threw Magnus a flirty wink and blew him a kiss over his shoulder as the crowd roared. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus could only watch, shocked, as Alec approached the MC, taking the mic from him. So much about tonight made sense now. Alec’s insistence at coming here, for Magnus to dress </span>
  <em>
    <span>extra, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and his outfit. His </span>
  <em>
    <span>outfit. </span>
  </em>
  <span>It had nearly given Magnus an aneurysm, when he’d seen it for the first time that night. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Well. You look different.” Magnus said. His brain had blanked out for more than a few seconds at the sight before him. Alec was dressed in rockstar jeans with chains hanging off them and a sleeveless hoodie, open at the front to reveal a black mesh tank top. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hmm. Should I take that as a compliment?” Alec smirked, running his hand down Magnus’s necklace-covered chest. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Magnus didn’t reply, unable to do much more than stare at Alec’s chest. Alec leaned in for a kiss, and the rest of Magnus’s thoughts flew out the window. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Heyyooo. Thank you so very much for that warm welcome. Hope you enjoy my little show. Babe, this is for you.” Alec pointed at Magnus, and Magnus wanted to sink into his seat in embarrassment. He may have started dressing in his more daring outfits nowadays, but centuries of blending into the background was a hard habit to shake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>On stage, Alec pulled his hood up and handed the mic back to the MC, who promptly jumped off the stage. He walked towards the middle of the stage, and his body went still as the spotlights all turned towards him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then the music started, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Closer </span>
  </em>
  <span>by Nine Inch Nails blaring over the loudspeakers, and Alec began to undulate his body to the rhythm of the strong beat. The crowd cheered, riled up and excited. Magnus felt a weird mix of conflicting emotions. On one hand, he was irritated at the other patrons. Alec was </span>
  <em>
    <span>his. </span>
  </em>
  <span>On the other hand, he felt kind of smug. Because they can’t have him, Alec was </span>
  <em>
    <span>his.  </span>
  </em>
  <span>Alec was doing this for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Magnus, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and Magnus alone</span>
  <em>
    <span>. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>In the end, he opted to ignore </span>
  <em>
    <span>both </span>
  </em>
  <span>those feelings and just focus on the show Alec was putting on for him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec was… well. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Gifted </span>
  </em>
  <span> would be putting it lightly. Magnus quickly felt his pants tighten at the combination of dirty lyrics paired with the way Alec gyrated his hips as he slowly pulled down the zipper of his hoodie. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once his zipper was all the way down, Alec began playing with the collar of his tank top. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh Merlin. No. No he is </span>
  </em>
  <span>not </span>
  <em>
    <span>going to do what I think he is. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He could feel temperature in the room go up several degrees; hear the throbbing of his heartbeat in his ears. The crowd must have felt it too, the tension and anticipation in the air, for the cheering got louder while at the same time it felt like the entire room was holding their breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A loud ripping sound could be heard as Alec ripped his tank top in half, all in one go. The crowd roared, and the stage floor was quickly covered in singles. Magnus felt a burning in his eyes and knew that it was his glamour threatening to drop. He fought harder than he ever had in his entire life to keep it up, knowing that this was a mundane establishment and he just could </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>risk them seeing him with his unnatural eyes. Alec must have spotted it however, because he threw another smirk his way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, before Magnus could properly react, Alec was in front of him. He grabbed Magnus by his necklaces up onto the stage, and Magnus couldn’t deny the heat that grew in his belly at that blatant display of strength. The crowd apparently agreed, for the cheers and whistling got even louder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was left standing awkwardly at the side of the stage, prevented from jumping back down by Alec’s hard body against him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay, and I’ll make it worth your while.” Alec whispered into his ear, nipping at his earlobe briefly before bending down again to grab his chair. He placed the chair in the middle of the stage, and pushed Magnus onto it, immediately going to straddle him as he dropped the remains of his top and hoodie onto the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus sat stiffly, more turned on than he’d ever been in his life and at the same time scared to death. He didn’t know where to look, or where to place his hands. Alec grabbed his chin and made him look up, giving him a short, chaste kiss. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, relax babe. Okay? You’ll be fine.” Magnus nodded numbly, and Alec continued his dance, gyrating against Magnus’s body in a way that </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely </span>
  </em>
  <span>perked his interest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The song changed, this time to “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish. Magnus rolled his eyes a bit at that, but couldn’t mind too much, not with the way Alec stared at him with that intense, lust-filled gaze. Alec took Magnus’s hands in his, placing them on his belt buckle. Magnus’s eyes widened, getting the hint. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He paused for a bit. Was he really going to do this? After a while, he decided well. He was tired of being hesitant all the time, letting Alec take the lead and making him feel flustered and out of place all night long. He decided that since he was here already, he might as well let go and enjoy himself. The only person he knew here was Alec anyway, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>he </span>
  </em>
  <span>definitely wouldn’t judge him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So he threw Alec a smirk and began to unbuckle his belt, and was rewarded by the sight of Alec poking his tongue out to lick his lips. Magnus did not waste any time, and soon enough Alec’s pants were completely open at the front, Magnus’s glamour dropping at the sight of the light blue lace panties hugging Alec’s hips. Alec threw him a smug look that Magnus wanted to smack off his face (or make him want to kiss him senseless). He grabbed a handful of that round beautiful ass under the waistband of his jeans but over the lace panties, eliciting a moan from him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, all of a sudden, Magnus was bereft of the weight of Alec’s ass on his lap. Alec had his back turned to him now, legs slightly spread apart as he dropped his jeans to the roaring of the crowd. He kicked them away, and then sat back on Magnus’s lap, grinding his ass into Magnus’s crotch. He took Magnuss’s hand in his, and placed them on his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus splayed his hand over Alec’s chest, trailing up and down the hard planes of his body. He tweaked a nipple, and Alec moaned loudly. It was as if the music wasn’t even there anymore; now they were just being ridiculously obscene, practically fucking on stage in front of everyone as Alec kept grinding into Magnus’s crotch. It was taking all of Magnus’s willpower not to just release himself right then and there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tweaked the other nipple, digging the fingers of his other hand into Alec’s hip. Alec moaned again, and craned his neck back to whisper, panting into Magnus’s ear, “God, Magnus. The things I’m going to do to you tonight.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus’s eyes darkened impossibly at the images that passed across his eyes, his imagination running wild. He abruptly stood up. Alec yelped, unbalanced. But he needn’t have feared, because Magnus’s arms were right there to catch him. He picked Alec up by the back of his thighs and flung him over his shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Show’s over y’all. Thank you for watching. Goodnight!” Magnus grinned at the crowd.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He jumped off the stage, accompanied by hoots and laughter. Passing by their table, he dug through his pocket one-handed and dropped a few hundred dollars before walking directly towards the exit with Alec still slung over his shoulder. Alec, in the meantime, was having a hell of a time waving and blowing kisses at everyone behind Magnus’s back. His erection was digging into Magnus’s shoulder, and he fought hard not to start grinding into him. Magnus must feel it, because he growled, clearly frustrated as well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Two hundred, no questions asked.” Magnus quickly gave the cab driver the address to his loft. The man tipped his hat in understanding, and quickly drove away. He’d seen much odder things at this hour of the night and was rarely phased anymore by whatever he saw. But the bonus was real nice. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alec pushed Magnus through the door of his loft, quickly slamming the door shut behind him before caging Magnus against it. He began to nuzzle against Magnus’s neck, taking in a deep inhale of Magnus’s sandalwood and spice smell. He bit down, and was rewarded with a moan from the warlock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulled back and stared into Magnus’s cat eyes, pupils blown wide in arousal. They had been together for almost three months now, and sexually intimate for almost the entire time. At first, Magnus had been hesitant to do anything more than make out. But Alec was kind, understanding, and endlessly patient with him. In the end, Magnus was the one who couldn’t hold out anymore and tackled him onto the couch before ripping his clothes off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stared at each other for a beat, Alec’s eyes flicking down multiple times to Magnus’s lips. Magnus’s tongue flickered out to wet his lips, and Alec dove in after it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The kiss was quick and dirty, passionate. Alec licked into Magnus’s mouth and he let him. Alec’s mouth tasted like the wine they drank together that night, and like fire, almost scalding. He felt Alec’s hands at his collar, blunt fingernails scratching against his chest as he fumbled at the buttons of his shirt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec quickly pulled off all of Magnus’s jewelry and clothes, taking extra care not to damage them, lips staying locked against each other almost the entire time. When they were both completely bare, Alec grabbed at Magnus’s ass, kneading his cheeks roughly before lifting Magnus off the ground. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus yelped, but held on tight as Alec carried him to his room and threw him onto the bed. The sheets felt amazing, cool against his overheated skin, and Magnus moaned at the feeling, turned on by the way Alec so easily carried him, the way Alec had handled him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec quickly climbed onto the bed, straddling Magnus’s hips and leaning down to continue their makeout session. He trailed his lips down to his jaw, and then to the junction between his neck and shoulder. He bit down again, on the same spot as before, relishing in Magnus’s sudden intake of breath from the mingled pain and pleasure. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to tie you up.”  He breathed into Magnus’s ear. “Leave you whimpering in need, so hard and helpless under me, as I slowly take you apart, piece by piece. Make you come, over and over again, past the limits of your body.” Magnus felt himself harden at the words, at how dirty they sounded coming from Alec’s lips. He looked up, beautiful cat eyes locking onto Alec’s own in challenge, and lifted his arms above his head, wrists crossed together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec smirked, and came in for another deep kiss. He reached one hand up, entwining his fingers against Magnus’s softer ones. He hummed into the kiss as he continued to grind against him. His other hand snaked under Magnus, running through his hair softly before suddenly grabbing and jerking his head back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus let out a strangled moan, the rough treatment sending heat directly down to his cock. He felt Alec’s lips trail down his jaw and nibble his neck. Just as he reached the skin right next to his adam’s apple, he felt a stinging pain as Alec bit down again. His hips jerked up, eliciting a groan from both men. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then suddenly the weight on top of him completely disappeared, and Magnus whined at the loss. He opened his eyes to see Alec kneeling beside the bed, rummaging through their toy chest that they kept under the bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! That’s cheating!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec stuck his tongue out at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus rolled his eyes. “Very mature.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec chuckled and stood up. In his hands were some rope, lube, a spreader bar, and a pair of nipple clamps with beautiful silver chains connecting them together. Magnus’s eyes widened, cheeks growing warm. Those particular nipple clamps were his favorite; they always made him feel like something beautiful, something to be treasured. He’d never actually told Alec that, but he’d seemed to just know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec took one of Magnus’s hands in his and placed a soft kiss against his knuckles, making Magnus’s heart swell with a feeling he refused to acknowledge. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sit up for me, baby. Hands behind your back.” Magnus sent him a confused look, but complied. Alec moved back onto the bed, kneeling behind Magnus. “Grab your elbows.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec then began to tie the rope around Magnus’s torso, over his chest above his pecs and under his arms, then again under his pectoral muscles in the junction between his chest and abdomen. He wrapped them around Magnus a few times to ensure that the rope would not dig too deep into his skin before tying them into an intricate knot behind his back. He then used another length of rope to secure Magnus’s wrists together behind his back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After he was done, Alec moved in front of Magnus to survey his work, a self-satisfied smile blooming on his face. Magnus looked divine in the rope harness, wrists bound and pulled slightly upwards on his back in an uncomfortable position. He was forced to extend his shoulders as far back as he could, while pushing his chest forwards. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Try as he might, Magnus was unable to move anything except his fingers, the ropes giving barely any slack. His inability to move, his utter vulnerability, only riled him up even more. He’d missed this, he realized. It had been too long since he’d trusted someone enough to let them put him in such a vulnerable position. An increasingly small part of his mind screamed at him; about how stupid he was, how naive and gullible, to be trusting a demon like this. But he ignored the voice, determined not to let it ruin his fun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec leaned in for a short kiss, leaving Magnus begging for more. Then with a mischievous grin, he pushed hard against Magnus’s chest, toppling him over onto his back and bound hands. Magnus yelped, cursing under his breath. He had absolutely no control over the placement or position of his own body. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec flicked a finger at Magnus’s exposed dick playfully. “Hey!” Magnus yelled, slightly annoyed. But the feeling was fleeting, overwhelmed by intense arousal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec grabbed Magnus’s ankles to attach them to each side of the spreader bar, making sure the cuffs were secure, that there was no way for Magnus’s feet to get loose accidentally despite how much he’d struggle. Alec then hefted up the spreader bar with Magnus’s ankles attached to them, and secured it firmly to the top of the headboard. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus’s face was flushed, breathing a little strained in that position bent double over himself. He felt so exposed, but turned on at the same time. Like this, not only Alec would get a full view of him, but he himself could do nothing but stare at the proof of his own arousal. His hole clenched in anticipation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aleeeccc.” Magnus whined, voice breathy with both arousal and strain. “Get on with it already!” He yelped as Alec slapped his right ass cheek, which turned into a moan as the calloused hand proceeded to brush against his perineum. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Patience, darling. Good things come to those who wait.” Alec said playfully as he attached the nipple clamps onto his boyfriend’s nipples. Magnus’s retort was cut short as he gasped at the sharp pain against his nipples. Before he could even recover, he felt a wet heat circle his rim. Alec’s hands dug into both sides of Magnus’s cheeks, eyes looking straight at him over the prominence of his erect cock. So he moaned instead, unable to help himself. It felt like he’d been hard for hours now, he didn’t think it’d take much for him to cum. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A-Alec. Touch me, please.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, darling.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Alec, infuriating tease that he was, only reached out a single finger to stroke the head of Magnus’s cock. Magnus couldn’t help but let out a frustrated sound. He felt Alec’s lips on his ass quiver in mirth, and wanted to slap him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But of course, he couldn’t. His arms were trapped behind his back, body tied up in a position so ridiculous he could do nothing but take what Alec gave him. The thought made his eyes glaze over in lust, cock twitching against Alec’s finger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec added another finger, stroking Magnus’s cock with just two fingers. Magnus shivered, feeling feverish and like it was both enough, with the hot mouth at his rim and the fingers, and not enough at all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alec, Alec please. Please.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?” Alec hummed, not stopping his ministrations on Magnus’s asshole. He pushed his tongue deep into him, and Magnus was </span>
  <em>
    <span>done. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He saw stars as he came all over his own chest and nipples, on his beautiful silver chains, some of his come spattering all over his own face. He felt so dirty, and he’d never felt so turned on in his life. He felt his cock twitch again, and darted his tongue out to taste himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec let out a groan that vibrated against his asshole, and finally pulled back a little in mercy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my God, Magnus. What you do to me. I just want to fuck this tight little asshole, so bad.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please. Alexander, please.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please what, babe? Tell me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please fuck me, please.” Magnus breathed, chest heaving. “Please, please, please! Pretty please with a fucking cherry on top, you twat!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec burst out in full blown laughter. He slapped Magnus’s ass several times, eliciting pained moans with every slap. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You do have a dirty mouth on you in bed, don’t you?” He grabbed Magnus’s ass with both hands, fingers digging in harshly as Magnus squirmed from the pleasure-pain. He dove back in, no longer teasing and just went to town on Magnus’s asshole, dipping his tongue quickly in and out of the other man’s tight heat. Magnus wriggled, trying to get away at the overstimulation. But any movement of his only served to swing his hips wildly in an uncomfortable way while doing nothing to help him get away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec inserted two lube-coated fingers at once into Magnus’s tight channel to replace his tongue, and Magnus groaned at the burn and stretch. Despite himself, he was starting to grow hard again. Alec began to scissor his fingers, stretching out Magnus’s asshole more, making Magnus squirm again, but this time trying to get closer instead of away. Alec licked his lips at the sight of Magnus writhing in desperation, already beginning to lose himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He inserted a third finger, fucking them fast in and out of Magnus. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, please! Fuck me, Alexander!” Magnus barely got out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, if you insist.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus felt something enter his hole and moaned at finally being filled, closing his eyes in pleasure at the sensation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it felt… weird. Wrong? Uncharacteristically smooth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then, it began to vibrate. He flung his eyes open, glaring at Alec who had the widest grin he’d ever seen on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aleecc! Dasar setan*!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? You never said what you wanted me to fuck you with. I figured, dealer’s choice.” Alec giggled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> Magnus wanted to throw a tantrum, he really did, drama queen that he was. He’d throw pillows, blankets, anything he could get his hands on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he couldn’t, and Alec knew this. And </span>
  <em>
    <span>Magnus</span>
  </em>
  <span> knew this, and couldn’t help but moan as heat flooded him again at the combination of the thought and the sensation in his ass. He was completely at Alec's mercy. His cock twitched against his belly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm? Not complaining anymore, darling?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re still an asshole.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Careful, or I might have to gag that pretty mouth of yours.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus stayed silent, unsure how to respond. He had to admit that he liked the idea. But he also really, really didn’t want to give in. But would he be losing more if he kept quiet and stopped cursing at Alec, or would he be losing more if he showed just how much he wanted it? </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck it, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought, he was going to lose either way. Might as well take the more pleasurable path.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So he opened his mouth, as wide as he could. Alec licked his lips, clearly loving the idea as much as Magnus did. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aassss. Hooolllleeee.” Magnus drawled, stretching each word out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec chuckled. “I do love a challenge.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Within moments, Magnus was drooling around a bright red ball gag. His cock was fully erect again, bobbing up and down as Alec fucked him slowly with the vibrator. Magnus’s face was red, sweat dripping and muscles straining in their bonds. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec slowly turned the settings on the vibrator up, matching it with the increasing speed of its movements in and out of Magnus. Magnus squirmed, arching his back as he felt his pleasure peaking again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec wrapped one of his beautiful muscled arms around Magnus’s lower abdomen, over his cock, to keep him in place. The position meant that Magnus was being bent over himself even farther, legs and ass pushed further up with Alec’s chest now braced against Magnus’s lower back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec continued to fuck into Magnus with the vibrator; his arm over Magnus’s cock providing a source of friction for Magnus to grind against. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus’s moans began to grow louder and louder as he tried to indicate how close he was, nonverbally. Alec placed a soft kiss onto his right cheek, and bit down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus </span>
  <em>
    <span>screamed</span>
  </em>
  <span>, muscles spasming as his orgasm spilled out all over his chest and covering Alec’s arm. Alec held him steady against his chest through it, never stopping his ministrations until Magnus’s moans turned into whimpers of discomfort from the overstimulation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec slowly began to dismantle the bindings on Magnus, starting with detaching the spreader bar from the headboard. He could do it magically, but Magnus was glad he did it the mundane way instead so he could slowly come up out of the headspace he’d been in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ball gag was the last to go. Alec maneuvered their bodies so that he lay back against the headboard, Magnus laying between his legs with his head against Alec’s chest. He flicked his wrist, intending to clean them both up with magic, but Magnus reached out a hand to stop him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t. Not yet.” Alec buried his face into Magnus’s hair, hands roaming up and down Magnus’s arms to soothe and relax the muscles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were so good Magnus, so good. You took everything so, so beautifully.” He whispered into Magnus’s hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus hummed, content in the afterglow of two incredible orgasms. They stayed like that for a while, the soothing sensation of Alec stroking his hair almost lulling him to sleep. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the more he came out of his pleasure the more he was conscious of Alec’s erection digging into his back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alec. You… you haven’t-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s alright darling. I’ll be fine. Shush, just relax. I put you through a lot today.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no. I want to, please.” Magnus said, flipping over on top of Alec. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He lifted himself up onto all fours and moved down the bed until his face was lined up with Alec’s cock. He licked his lips. Alec honestly had the most beautiful cock he’d ever seen. It was smooth, slightly veiny, and just the right length and girth. He also had two cute little silver frenum piercings, one right under the head, and another about half an inch under that. Magnus had always loved shiny things. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked up at Alec to make sure he was watching and gave a tentative lick at the head. Alec groaned and Magnus smiled, loving the way Alec was always so responsive to everything he did. He proceeded to tease in revenge, giving Alec’s head and shaft small kitten licks all over, holding it in place at the base. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Magnus.” Alec said, voice sounding strained and slightly annoyed. Magnus just giggled at him and continued. He curled his tongue around the head, wrapping his lips around it, pretending that he was about to finally push it deep into his mouth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He abruptly pulled off though, and continued just licking at Alec’s head. Alec groaned, resigned. Magnus began to pay individual attention to each tiny barbell, eliciting a different type of groan from Alec. He then moved further down, laying his tongue flat against the underside of Alec’s shaft, giving it a long slow stroke up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec grabbed at Magnus’s hair, trying to maneuver Magnus fully onto his cock. But his grip wasn’t too tight, and Magnus chose to just ignore it as he continued to tease. He placed an open-mouthed kiss against the side of Alec’s member, sucking slightly and letting his teeth barely graze the skin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec moaned, fingers spasming in Magnus’s hair, and the brief sharp pain caused heat to build again in Magnus’s belly. His dick twitched, but was still too spent to do much more than that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Magnus, please.” Alec begged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ask me nicely.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>nice!” Alec complained. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>nicer.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why do you have to be such a brat, Magnus?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus grinned. “Well, I learned from the best.” Alec sighed, he supposed that was true enough. He’d taken cute, shy Magnus Bane and turned him into a </span>
  <em>
    <span>monster.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine. Please, please stop teasing me Magnus. Pretty please? I want to feel your mouth around my cock, thrust into that wonderful, warm heat. Then I want to fuck you deep, like I’d promised earlier, fuck you until you scream for me again and again and again. I want you so bad, Magnus. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Please.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus’s cheeks heated up. He hadn’t expected Alec to go into such detail, and could feel his own cock begin to take interest again. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, that backfired on me. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Alec seemed to know it too, for his face was once again back to that arrogant, smug smile that Magnus </span>
  <span>loved</span>
  <span>hated so much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly no longer interested in taking his time, Magnus put his lips around Alec’s cock and took him deep all in one go. They both moaned at the same time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Magnus. So good. Get that dick nice and wet, baby.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus bobbed his head up and down on Alec’s cock, alternating deep and shallow movements, swirling his tongue against the head each time he came up, making sure to brush against Alec’s piercings. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec began squirming on the bed, fingers tightening in Magnus’s hair. He tried to pull Magnus off him, but Magnus didn’t let up on his attention on his cock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Magnus. Magnus, please. I’m going to cum.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few more deep thrusts later, the salty bitter taste of Alec’s cum filled Magnus’s mouth. He quickly pulled off, letting the last of it land on his cheeks and chin. His eyes glazed over, he’d always loved having his lovers’ cum on his face. He licked his lips, swallowing more of Alec’s cum. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec pulled him up by the hair into a deep kiss, his fingers reaching behind Magnus to reach his hole. Magnus was unsurprised to find that Alec’s erection hadn’t softened even a bit after his orgasm. He had been surprised, their first time, and even a little bit unnerved when he realized the reason. Alec’s physiology wasn’t human, after all. But right now all he could think about was how </span>
  <em>
    <span>convenient</span>
  </em>
  <span> it was for him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus was still loose from earlier, but it seemed like Alec wanted to make sure and stretch him just a little bit more. After all, his cock was just a little wider than the toy they had used earlier. He scissored his lubed fingers (Magic was amazing), stretching the muscle roughly. It was quick and dirty, and Magnus moaned at the slightly rough treatment. There was a time and place for softness, but he’d always had more of a tendency to prefer play that tilted towards the rougher side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A moment later, he felt Alec’s lubed cock enter his hole. He groaned (that first thrust was always the best) and he pushed down all the way, unwilling to take his time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eager, are we?” Magnus responded by biting into Alec’s neck hard. Alec hissed, gripping Magnus’s cheeks and lifted him up before slamming him back down onto his cock. His strong hands continued to lift Magnus up and down on his cock. The strength in the action never ceased to get Magnus hot and bothered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec thrust hard into Magnus’s tight hole one last time, and then lifted Magnus completely off of him. Magnus yelped in surprised protest as Alec flipped them over and threw Magnus down, face-first into the bed. But he so loved the way Alec could so easily throw him around in bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus lifted himself onto his knees, keeping his face buried in the sheets. It was one of their favorite positions, and Magnus knew what to do by now. Alec loved the way Magnus’s spine curved, the way his hole gripped at him even tighter, and Magnus loved the way that with every thrust, Alec’s piercings would brush against his prostate and make him see stars. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec pushed back into Magnus’s hole in one deep thrust and began fucking into him, fast and hard. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Such a good boy for me, Magnus. Baby, darling, beautiful boy. Fuck, yes, you feel so good baby.” Magnus could not respond, moans muffling into the sheets. Alec’s cock was stimulating his prostate at every thrust, rendering him unable to form any coherent thoughts. He felt himself about to cum again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alec-Alexander. Fuck. Please.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please what, baby? What do you want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Harder.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Magnus punctuated this by pushing himself back onto Alec’s cock, matching his rhythm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your wish is my command.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec began to thrust harder and harder into him. Their moans and pants mingled together in shared pleasure. They were both getting so close to completion and within a few more strokes, Magnus came all over his chest and sheets below him with a sharp cry, completely untouched. Alec’s hips began to stutter out of rhythm and a few more thrusts were enough before he too was cumming deep into Magnus. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They fell sideways on the bed, breathing hard. Alec pulled Magnus into his chest and held him tight. They laid panting for a little while, basking in the afterglow and just enjoying each other’s warmth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow.” Alec said, after a while. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow indeed. Merlin, Alec. I guess it’s true what they say about demons in the sack.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Magnus, you make that joke every time.” Alec pouted, though he was more amused than annoyed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, every time it’s true.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, thank you.” Alec said in his most snobbish voice. “I try.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus giggled, still riding on the high of three incredible orgasms, and snuggled in further into Alec’s embrace. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hush, I want to sleep.” Alec gave a kiss to Magnus’s hair, and within moments they were both asleep. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Magnus woke to the warm scent of coffee and bacon sizzling on the pan. He groaned, not wanting to be awake just yet. His muscles felt pleasantly sore and relaxed in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. But the space beside him was cold, and he felt a little put out about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alexanderr…” He whined. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just a minute, hun!” He heard Alec reply from the kitchen. Magnus rolled over, burying his face into his pillow. He was about to nod off again when he heard the door to his bedroom slide open. He felt the bed dip, followed by a hand on his shoulder. He rolled over to look at his boyfriend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Having a bit of a lie-in I see.” Alec said, voice teasing. He held a tray in his hands, filled with plates of bacon and eggs, coffee, and orange juice. It looked really good, and Magnus realized then just how hungry he was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He quickly sat up, and Alec placed the tray in his lap. Magnus tilted his head up for a kiss, and Alec bent down to comply. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re so good to me.” Magnus said, smiling against Alec’s lips. He couldn’t believe how happy he was, just being here with Alec (Was he twisted, to feel so safe in a demon’s presence?)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eat up, babe. You’ll need to load back up on energy after last night.” He winked. Magnus shivered in memory of the heights of pleasure he’d experienced the night before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alec. About last night… Thank you. For the first time in a really long time, I felt like… Like I’m myself again, the old me. A more adventurous, confident me. Even if it’s just for one night.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re welcome, babe.” Alec leaned in, pressing another soft kiss against Magnus’s lips. Magnus wanted to deepen the kiss, maybe go for round two (or was it four? Or five? He honestly couldn’t remember).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But those thoughts could wait; he was too hungry to really start anything up again. So he picked up the fork and began to stuff the contents of the plate before him down his throat, uncaring of how he’d look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec watched him eat, a fond look upon his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you.” He said, as if the words were a matter of course. There was no hesitation or uncertainty in his voice; no apologies, no defenses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus looked up with widened eyes and slowly put down his fork. His cheeks were still bulging with food, eyebrows raised almost to his hairline. Alec covered his mouth with one hand to hide his snickers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus struggled to swallow everything, washing it down with a gulp of orange juice. Alec’s eyes were so soft as to be heartbreaking; so sincere it sent a stab through his heart. They held no expectations, or shame; invulnerable in his self-assuredness and candor. He was a man that knew his own truth, and was unafraid.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus was left speechless, unable to do anything but continue to stare. Alec’s smile never dimmed though, as he leaned forward to press a soft kiss against Magnus’s forehead. </span>
</p><p><span>“Hush, baby. It’s alright.” He said as he carded his fingers through Magnus’s hair. “You don’t have to say it back, you don’t have to say anything. I just needed you to know. I’m in</span> <span>love with you, have been in love with you, perhaps right from the beginning.” </span></p><p>
  <span>Magnus flicked his fingers, banishing the tray of food back into the kitchen, no longer hungry. He circled his arms around Alec’s waist and buried his face into his chest. He felt guilty, for allowing Alec to comfort him when he was the one unable to say the words; those three simple, difficult words. He felt like crying from the jumble of emotions fighting to surface. He was lost, drowning, relieved, tired, insecure, guilty, disbelieving, and just a little angry (at Alec or at himself, he didn’t know). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t deserve this, didn’t deserve love. It couldn’t be true, it just couldn’t. Alec must be lying, despite how sincere he’d looked. Demons were good at that, weren’t they?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How? How could you love me?” He shook his head, head still pressed into Alec’s chest. He wanted to run away, wanted to hide, wanted to scream, but just couldn’t bring himself to let go. “You-you’re lying! You can’t possibly know what love is, demon. You can’t love, and you can’t love </span>
  <em>
    <span>me.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He finally pulled away, his need for touch suddenly turning into disgust, the feeling of Alec’s skin on his abruptly becoming unbearable when just a few moments ago it spelled warmth, and comfort, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>safety. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He wanted to believe, so badly, but couldn’t bring himself to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus paused, taking a deep breath. “Out of all the things you could have said or done to me, I think this might be the most cruel.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec sighed, then sat on the bed and took Magnus’s hands in his. Magnus tried to pull them away, but Alec wouldn’t let him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, hey. Please, just listen, alright?” Magnus stilled. He couldn’t really get away; some part of him didn’t want to. Wanted to let Alec convince him somehow, someway. The rest of him however, wanted to harden himself against the oncoming words, to distance himself from them; to not be swayed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was an angel once, like all the greater demons were. And angels… we were made out of love, made </span>
  <em>
    <span>to </span>
  </em>
  <span>love.” He sighed, voice tinged with longing. “You don’t know what Heaven was like, Magnus. So much light, love, </span>
  <em>
    <span>peace.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec paused for a beat, face inscrutable. Magnus stayed silent, feeling like he was intruding on a private moment. His heart was beginning to soften despite himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“After everything, the fall, and the eternity stuck as something other than what we were, that love, for all of us, had become twisted; submerged in darkness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But our roots, our very makeup, we still are, we still </span>
  <em>
    <span>can, </span>
  </em>
  <span>love. In our own way. And if, no, </span>
  <em>
    <span>when</span>
  </em>
  <span> that ability to love ceases to be, so do we. Before the realms closed, that was really the only way any of us could truly die</span>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Alec’s voice broke at those last words, filled with emotion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec took in a deep, ragged breath. Magnus could no longer hold himself back, and wrapped his arms back around Alec, trying to provide some sort of comfort. He didn’t know what he could say to make this better, but he could do this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec ran his hands through Magnus’s hair and placed a kiss upon it. His other arm curled around Magnus’s back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So yes, I do love you. Deeply, passionately, perhaps a little obsessively. You, and Isabelle, keep me here, keep me going.” Magnus knew that when Alec said </span>
  <em>
    <span>here,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he meant much more than just in his loft, or this realm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And Magnus,” Alec tilted his chin up. “You are… amazing, breathtaking. How could I not love you? How could anyone? Please, please don’t put yourself down. You are so much more than you could ever believe.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At these last words, Magnus began to cry. Silent tears rolled down his cheeks, turning soon into loud sobs that he buried against the hard chest against his face. Alec had firmly, and decisively, melted the last of the ice around his heart. He still couldn’t say the words back, and the doubts at the back of his mind, of his own worth, of the truth to Alec’s words, were still present. However, the thoughts no longer held precedence in his mind, were now pushed back into the furthest recesses of his mind. He thought he could now--no, he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure. </span>
  </em>
  <span>With a bit of time, Alec would have him. His whole heart, soul, being. No one had ever stuck around before, never wanted to stay. But Alexander, he could be different. For the first time in a long time, Magnus began to hope for more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec held Magnus tight against him, and stayed. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Magnus jumped, hands glowing bright blue as arms wrapped around his waist from behind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jumpy today, aren’t we?” Magnus relaxed, recognizing his boyfriend’s voice. He felt Alec’s head drop on to his shoulder, and craned his neck to lock eyes with him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alec,” He frowned. “You know, when we started dating I thought that you’d stop just randomly showing up to bother me. Clearly I was wrong, silly me.” Magnus shot Alec a glare as best he could from his position. It was the middle of the night, and he had just been walking home from a client’s house. She was bedridden, and he had gone over to drop off a potion. They were in a seedy area of town, but it was the shortest route and Magnus was too exhausted to go through the longer, safer path back to his loft. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, silly you. But don’t worry, I still love you.” Magnus tried to glare, but didn’t quite manage it. Alec was always so open with his affection, and he loved hearing Alec tell him that he loved him, even though he still couldn’t say it back. Alec spoke his love so freely, and Magnus couldn’t help but admire, and perhaps even be a little envious of, his bravery. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And yet... he still couldn’t let go of the last defenses around his heart. There were some ways in which Magnus trusted Alec fully and completely. He trusted Alec with his life, and with his body; that Alec would take good care of him when he was at his most vulnerable. But he couldn’t yet trust him with his heart, after so many years, centuries, of secreting it away under so many layers of protection. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> “And well, when one’s boyfriend is walking around alone and unprotected in the middle of the night, it is one’s job to be there to defend him from evil.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus released himself from his boyfriend’s hold and turned to face him fully. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alec, the only evil I need protecting from is you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec merely smirked at that and stepped in closer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But do you really want to be protected?” His voice dropped low, taking on a sultry tone. Magnus felt heat pool in his belly, the little bit of guilt he had left for his attraction to a demon only turning him on more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t think so.” Alec leaned in for a quick kiss, but then backed off just as quickly, looking all too pleased with himself at Magnus’s disappointed scowl. He took Magnus’s hand in his, and they continued strolling down the road, headed towards Magnus’s apartment where hopefully, they’d be able to get up to much naughtier things. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t move.” A muffled voice called out from behind them. Magnus froze, but Alec just calmly turned around to face whoever it was that had interrupted them. He saw a man in dark clothing, gun pointed at them. His eyes bleeded black as he stalked slowly but with purpose towards the man. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop! I said stop!” The man yelled, beginning to panic at seeing Alec’s unnatural eyes. But Alec did not stop his advance, and he emptied his clip trying to shoot at Alec. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alec!” Magnus shouted, but saw that Alec seemed completely unaffected, continuing his advance towards the mundane despite the obvious bloody wounds that tore through his clothes and flesh. The mundane was positively terrified now, and an unpleasant smell filled the air. He had pissed his pants in terror. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec shot him a malicious grin, and lifted one hand. He squeezed it into a fist, and watched in satisfaction as the mundane dropped his gun and fell to the floor, screaming in agony. Oh how he’d missed this, all these years playing nice with the mortal folk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You dare, mortal?” It was a rhetorical question; he did not expect the man to be able to speak any coherent words. He squeezed his hand even tighter, and the man began to bleed from his eyes and mouth, beginning to choke on his blood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alec, Alec stop! Please, stop!” Magnus was horrified. He’d known from the beginning what Alec was, but he’d never seen him this way. Thus far, he’d only ever seen the playful, sweet, and sexy parts of Alec. He had been lulled into a false sense of security, safety, and comfort; was beginning to convince himself that Alec was no </span>
  <em>
    <span>true</span>
  </em>
  <span> demon. The sight before him firmly disproved all his notions of what his boyfriend really was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec turned around, seeing the fear in Magnus’s face. He sighed, but unclenched his hand. The mundane immediately stopped his writhing, turning to his side to spit out all the blood that had filled his mouth. He backed away quickly, trying to get up and run. But Alec was having none of it. He grabbed the mundane by the back of his collar, and threw him back onto the ground. He crouched over the man, revealing his demonic face. His skin turned grey, cheekbones sharpened unnaturally, and the shadow of horns appeared upon his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is a price that must be paid.” He grinned evilly, voice obtaining an unholy echo Magnus had never heard before, that sent chills down his spine. He lifted his hand again, allowing the man to watch as the skin turned scarred and grotesque, as claws pushed its way out of his fingertips.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>With a quick swipe of those claws, the mundane was divested of his hand; the one that had held the gun. It was now held triumphantly in Alec’s claws, dripping blood onto the terrified man on the ground. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is done,” He said, throwing one last demented look at the man before standing back up, carelessly throwing the hand onto the side of the alley. He looked at his shirt and scrunched his nose up in disgust. It was now ruined, and he had liked this shirt too. He always dressed his best for Magnus. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“H-how. Wh-why?” Magnus asked, his voice sounding dead. He was in shock at Alec’s brutality. He hadn’t seen this type of violence in nearly three centuries. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, haven’t you ever heard of the phrase: Karma’s a bitch?” Alec smirked, still riding on his violent high and having forgotten to return himself to his human form. “Well, I’m that bitch. Besides, I’m a demon, Magnus. What did you expect? You knew what you were getting into.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t know I was getting into </span>
  <em>
    <span>THIS.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Magnus yelled, adrenaline racing through his veins in fear and rage. He was so </span>
  <em>
    <span>stupid! Stupid, stupid Magnus. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew </span>
  </em>
  <span>Alec was a demon. How could he have been so stupid as to forget that one simple fact, how could he have let himself be seduced by this, this </span>
  <em>
    <span>thing. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Through simple charm and flattery? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay-stay away from me.” Magnus spit out, eyes teary and filled with horror and betrayal. “I’m done. We’re done. Go away. Do not come back. I mean it this time.” He conjured a portal directly to his loft, uncaring of the fact that the simple act would deplete him of his energy completely, and ran through before quickly closing it back up again. He really had to renew the warding on it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec was left standing there all alone, the mundane having run off during their conversation. His world had broken apart, for only the third time in his long, long life. He had let himself get carried away in the heat of the moment, unmindful of the presence of his boyfriend. His beautiful, loving, soft-hearted warlock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>No amount of regret now would do him any good. Magnus had rejected him, for good this time. Alec sat on the ground, uncaring of the blood slowly seeping into his pants, and grieved. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been a month or so since their breakup, and Magnus was feeling lonely. Alec, for once, had adhered to his wishes and hadn’t shown up at all since then. He was glad for it, he supposed. Deep in the recesses of his heart, some small part of him wished Alec hadn’t done so, had continued to pester him every waking hour. He quickly crushed it, pressed that part down, but it refused to completely disappear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d taken up drinking and partying again. He’d been curt to his clients, and probably lost quite a few of them, those who hadn’t been to see him long enough to know different. His regulars however, like Luke and Hodge, were starting to get worried. They’d even reached out to his best friends Ragnor and Catarina and tried to get them to find out what was wrong. But Magnus couldn’t, wouldn’t tell them. He’d been so stupid, and he couldn’t bear to see their judgmental eyes turned upon him, not right now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d contemplated taking mundanes home to have some fun with them, but in the end decided that he just couldn’t bear to do so. They couldn’t replace what he’d lost, and he felt somewhat dirty to have let a demon touch him, use him, in the most intimate way possible. Too dirty to feel comfortable being touched in the same way again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shuddered at the thought, feeling disgusted with himself. He took a long swig of the top shelf single malt scotch in his hand, straight from the bottle. He needed to forget. Forget the way that despite how wrong it was, he still missed Alec. He still dreamt of the way Alec had touched him, both roughly and tenderly. How soft Alec’s lips felt on his, and the way that Alec always made him feel wanted, desired, loved. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He curled up on himself on the couch, mourning the love he’d lost so suddenly. The love that was just beginning to bloom. But he supposed it was better this way, waking up before it got any further. He couldn’t, shouldn’t, fall for a demon. That way lay trouble, and he knew it. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a cold and dreary evening on a Wednesday, and Magnus </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> contemplated going out to a club again but when it started raining he’d decided that he would rather not enter a club sopping and dripping wet. His magic would probably allow him to keep dry, but it’d look too suspicious to the mundanes, and there were no completely downworlder establishments any longer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So he was at home, once again drinking his sorrows away and contemplating how he could have allowed a </span>
  <em>
    <span>man, </span>
  </em>
  <span>for that’s what Alec was to him no matter his species, turn him into </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> again. He’d sworn that after Camille, he would no longer give his heart away so freely. At least the last time, he’d had Ragnor to comfort him. But this time he was too ashamed. He’d finally confessed to them what had happened, and just as he predicted, they had looked upon him with judgmental (though still sympathetic) eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed, contemplating whether he should get another drink or just call it a night, when an unfamiliar voice spoke up behind him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you’re the one my brother has given up so much for.” Magnus turned around, eyes wild and adrenaline already rushing through his veins. No one should have been able to get through his wards, now that his magic was up to 50% his usual strength. That was already more than most warlocks he’d ever met, the exceptions being Ragnor and Catarina. He saw a classically handsome man, dressed in a fine suit watching him with unconcealed distaste. He stood up, calling red magic to his fingertips in preparation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh please, your parlor tricks won’t work on me, warlock.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who are you! How did you get in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man laughed, cruelty in his voice and demeanor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think your paltry warding could keep out a greater demon? Cute.” The man threw out his hands, and Magnus felt an invisible force fling him against the wall, pinning him. He’d tried to put up a shield, but the man had blown through it as if it wasn’t even there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm, let’s take a look at you, shall we?” The demon said as he stalked closer. “Well, I can see why Alexander would be interested in you, I suppose. You </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>a pretty one, and pretty powerful too. At least, you would be if you hadn’t let your magic sleep for so long.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man held a hand up in the air and balled his hand into a fist. The last thought before pain consumed him was how painfully familiar the gesture was. He could feel his body start to seize from the pain, pain like a hundred long needles entering every possible surface of his skin. It felt like his insides were liquifying, and Magnus just… couldn’t believe it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After all these centuries, after surviving innumerable wars, was this really how he was destined to die? There was a time when he could have handled even a greater demon; not easily, but he could have. He regretted so much, letting himself slip this way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, as abruptly as it started, the pain stopped. Magnus found himself on the floor, panting. How did he even get there? When did the demon drop him? He felt wetness on his face, and knew that they weren’t all tears. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was exhausted, in pain, miserable, and terrified. All he wanted to do was sleep, but he couldn’t, not yet. Not until he knew that he was safe again. He fought the oncoming blackness that threatened to overtake his consciousness, and looked up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man was no longer alone, there was another intruder in his home (he wondered if he would ever feel safe here again). They were fighting against each other, swords lit up with strange red runes clashing against each other and throwing off dark sparks that burned everything they landed on. He tried to make out their faces, but between his still blurry eyes and the quick movements of the two, he couldn’t see more than blurs of grey skin and clawed fingers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You must know, brother, that I am merely here to save you from… stooping so low. You would actually choose a half breed over </span>
  <em>
    <span>me?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Magnus recognized the voice as the first intruder that entered, the demon that had flung him against the wall and almost murdered him (and could still, Magnus knew. His injuries were extensive, and he could feel his insides jiggling around in his abdomen in the way they never should.) The man’s voice was ragged with exertion, but hard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you dare call him that!” Magnus’s eyes widened. Was that… could it be? </span>
</p><p><span>“Alexander?” Magnus tried to get out, voice muffled by the blood gurgling at the back of his throat. He started coughing instead, blood splattering all over his hardwood floors. There was a lump of </span><em><span>something </span></em><span>amongst the bloody mess as well. </span><em><span>Oh, I guess the saying wasn’t just metaphorical after all,</span></em> <span>Magnus thought in a daze. He somehow felt like laughing, and crying at the same time, but was too tired to do either. </span></p><p>
  <span>The split second of distraction cost Alec dearly, allowing the other demon to move in close enough to put his sword through Alec’s shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Magnus yelled. He threw out a hand, but his body and magic were too injured to do more than create little red sparks on his fingertips. The man began walking towards Magnus again as Alec staggered back in pain. His eyes were intent on finishing what he’d started. He wouldn’t waste any time now, like he had intended at first. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, before he managed to reach Magnus, an arrow pierced right through him, leaving a bloody hole in the middle of his abdomen. The man turned back to look towards Alec, who was aiming another arrow at him. He held the fletching of the arrow in his teeth and the bow in his right arm, his left hanging loose at his side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t make me do something I’ll regret, Polly.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The other demon, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Polly? (What the fuck kind of name is Polly?) </span>
  </em>
  <span>stopped in his tracks with a snarl. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t call me that! Stop this, stop this… </span>
  <em>
    <span>human</span>
  </em>
  <span> nonsense.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Polly</span>
  </em>
  <span> said the word ‘human’ with deep disgust in his tone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not! It’s not nonsense, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Apollyon, </span>
  </em>
  <span>not to me. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>care </span>
  </em>
  <span>about it. I care about him, about my work, about my </span>
  <em>
    <span>life </span>
  </em>
  <span>here.” </span>
</p><p><span>“It is not </span><em><span>right!”</span></em> <em><span>Apollyon </span></em><span>yelled back. </span></p><p>
  <span>Then his voice abruptly turned softer, and in some ways, Magnus thought, it was worse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just… Let’s just stop all this. All this… bullshit. Go back to the way it was. Chaos, destruction, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>us</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you, me, and Seir. Us against them, against the mortals. Like it used to be.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can’t, Apollyon. We can’t go back. The world isn’t the same anymore, </span>
  <em>
    <span>we’re</span>
  </em>
  <span> not the same anymore. Accept it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apollyon </span>
  <em>
    <span>screamed, </span>
  </em>
  <span>full of rage and desperation. He tried to turn around, blade raised high in the air. But Alec was faster, and an arrow embedded itself into Apollyon’s hand, making him drop his weapon. He screamed in rage and pain, eyes glowing as he tried to get up again. But Alec shot another two arrows right in front of his feet; warning shots not to get any closer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apollyon scoffed in disgust. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This isn't’ over, brother. I’ll be back, and next time maybe you won’t be fast enough to save your little pet warlock.” With that, the demon disappeared in a dark puff of smoke, leaving behind only the scent of soot and sulphur. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that, Alec dropped everything and ran over to Magnus. His eyes were wild and frantic. He surveyed the mess that Magnus had become, eyes bleeding and choking blood. His eyes were glazed over, barely conscious. He crouched down, one hand reaching out to cup Magnus’s cheek. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Magnus, please, please. Stay with me, please.” Alec begged, voice choked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cat-Catarina.” Magnus managed to get out in between wracking coughs, before the pain and exhaustion finally took him and the world darkened around him. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Magnus woke up, it was light out and he was laid on his bed, covers wrapped around his legs. His entire body ached, but it didn’t feel nearly as bad as it had before. His vision was still filled with dark spots, and he blinked several times to try to get rid of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec was sat beside him on a chair, silently watching him. At the sight, Magnus quickly drew back, the action causing a sharp pain to shoot through his entire body. His eyes filled with fear as he began to recollect the previous night’s events. Alec stared back at him, his own eyes filled with regret and sadness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry you had to see that,” He said in a quiet voice. “I’ll go get Catarina.” Before Magnus could say anything else, Alec had disappeared again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Barely 2 minutes later, Catarina entered, looking exhausted and barely awake. She must have stayed in the guest room overnight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh Magnus, what have you gotten yourself into this time?” Catarina shook her head as she approached the bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hush. You can talk later. Let me check up on you.” Catarina let her hands hover over Magnus, and a light and gentle blue glow rose from them to envelop Magnus’s body. After a while, Catarina straightened back up and sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, could be worse I guess. Your body is stable, but you’re going to have to be on bedrest for at least a month or so. I’ll come check up on you everyday, and don’t you dare use your magic again for at least that long, you hear me?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus looked down, filled with shame. He’d brought this on himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry.” He said in a small voice. “You don’t have to do that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No I don’t. But I want to.” Catarina said, her voice losing its hard edge. She brushed Mangus’s hair aside in a tender gesture. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to try to get a few more hours of sleep in before I need to be at the hospital again. I’ll leave you two to talk.” She turned to Alec. “If you hurt him, I’ll know, and you won’t like the consequences.” At that, she stalked her way back out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Awkward silence filled the room. Magnus and Alec hadn’t talked to each other in months, and he still felt afraid. But Magnus knew he couldn’t just leave this be, he needed answers. So finally, reluctantly, he asked the question that most bugged him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who was he, Alexander? Why did he call you brother?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec let out a long sigh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Apollyon. He called me brother because we are, in a way. All of us angels, fallen or otherwise, are brothers. Mostly, the relation doesn’t matter because there are thousands of us. But he and I, and Isabelle, we’re the only ones left. We got close but… I haven’t seen him in over a century.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So why has he reappeared? What did you do, Alec?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He wants to sow chaos, start another great war in the downworld. Ever since the shadowhunters died out, he’s gotten bold. He wants to recruit me, I guess. I’d been… trying to do better, these past months we were separated. Be someone you’d be able to accept. I guess he didn’t like that. He found out about you. I don’t know how.” Alec explained, sounding pained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another silence filled the room, Magnus lost as to what to say. He looked away from Alec, unable to meet his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry.” Alec said in a small voice, filled with guilt. “I never should have…” he trailed off, and didn’t say any more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec took something out from his pocket, holding it in both hands. He stared at it for a bit, before placing it on the bed beside Magnus. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here, please. Keep this with you at all times. It’s the last tiny bit of uncorrupted angel grace I have left.” Alec said, voice thick with emotion. “It’ll protect you, and if you’re ever in the presence of demons again, I’ll know.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want it.” Magnus said angrily, swiping it off the bed without even looking to see what it was. “I can take care of myself.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec didn’t say anything. He bent down and picked up the small omamori charm, for that was what it was, what he’d chosen to imbue his grace into, and set it down on the bedside table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Magnus, please.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Magnus stayed stubbornly silent. Alec sighed, and got up. He quietly disappeared, one second there and the next gone, leaving Magnus all alone to brood. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Magnus stared at the small charm in his hands. Despite what he’d told Alec, he didn’t really have the heart to throw it away. Magnus was old and powerful; had held many powerful positions in his time; had held many valuable things in his hands. Gold, jewels, priceless art, powerful or rare magical artefacts, Seelie artefacts, and much more. And yet… none of those held a candle to the value of the tiny little spark of pure grace cupped in his hands; and not just because angel grace was a valuable commodity. It was the fact that it was given, lovingly, freely, with no expectations of reward, and at huge cost. There was a magic all its own, to sacrifice. It made the talisman all the more powerful as a source of protection, working only for the person it was intended for; in this case, none other than himself, Magnus Bane. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His own heart hurt, just thinking about the extent of sacrifice Alec must have gone through to so easily hand this over to him. How his Alexander must have loved him, fully and completely, how pure that love must be (How passionately and roughly he’d fucked him into the mattress). How much Alexander must trust him, especially because as a warlock, there was so much that he could do with that tiny sliver of grace, how much power he could wield against him if he so chose (How tenderly he’d touched him, making love under the light of the moon. How he was safe; how he was loved). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the other hand… Alexander’s face and actions, while he was torturing the mundane who’d tried to rob him; that smug, self-satisfied smirk on his face as he did it… It still sent chills down his back, especially now that he had experienced first-hand what it felt like to have his internal organs being slowly liquified by a greater demon. Alec had done to the mugger, what Alec’s brother Apollyon had done to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>How could he stand that? What kind of person would he be, if he accepted that? Accepted someone who would do that in utter enjoyment, without thought, to someone else? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus shook his head and stood up. What point was there for him to brood on this alone? Alexander was gone now, and he hadn’t seen the man (demon) since the night of the attack, a month ago. It was better that he stayed away, for both their sakes. Magnus should forget about him and try to move on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He put the talisman back into the bedside table drawer he usually kept it in, and snapped his fingers to give himself a quick change of clothes. He was going out, he was going to party, and he was going to forget all his problems (He pushed aside the feeling of deja vu; pushed aside the knowledge that it hadn’t worked then, just like it wouldn’t work now.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But when he got to the door, he found that he couldn’t bring himself to open it. His fingers trembled as they hovered above the door knob. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was scared; no, terrified. Far more than he’d felt in centuries. The centuries of peace, and his abstinence from magic, had made him complacent. He was no longer what he was, the High Warlock of whichever place he dwelled and revered for his talent, power, and pedigree. He was no longer a fighter, a warrior; to be feared by demons, downworlders, and shadowhunters alike. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Easy pickings, easy pickings. </span>
  </em>
  <span>A voice laughed in his mind, wicked and ugly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If, </span>
  <em>
    <span>when, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Apollyon came back for him, he would be utterly helpless, defenseless against the greater demon’s power. Already there were stirrings of unrest amongst the downworlder groups. Vampires were huddling together into clans again for safety and to scheme. Just that morning there was yet another bloodless corpse of a werewolf found in an alley somewhere in Hell’s Kitchen, the third in the last month. Seelies were leaving in droves out of the city, disappearing into the mysterious corners of the world that were inaccessible to most others. Merfolk, the few who had chosen to live land-bound, returned to the sea, unwilling to watch the coming revolution unfold.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He groaned in frustration at his own helplessness, his cowardice, and stalked back over to the bedside table to retrieve the omamori charm. When he finally left the loft, it was with even greater intent to lose himself in the moment. The door slammed shut behind him, hard enough to rattle the windows, leaving the loft as empty and cold as he felt. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Magnus leaned against the double doors that led to his loft, rummaging in his pockets for his keys. But his fingers were clumsy, his coordination disordered from the amount he’d had to drink at the club. He dropped them onto the floor, and nearly toppled over completely as he bent to pick them up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took a few tries for him to find the keyhole, but he finally managed it. He entered the loft and leaned back against the door, letting himself slide down into a sitting position. His head leaned back naturally, slitted eyes wide as he gazed up into the darkness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know why he kept going out. Sure, it let him forget, just for a few hours, what a mess his life had become. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Pining for a demon, honestly Magnus, haven’t you learnt your lesson by now? </span>
  </em>
  <span>He sneered at himself. But every time, every single time, at the end of the night the dancing and partying only left him feeling more hollow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, he felt an agonizing pain in his right forearm. His head whipped down to look and was horrified to see that it was bent and broken right through the middle, bits of bone peeking out through his skin. Nausea began to rise in his gut, for once not caused by too much alcohol. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A hand gripped his neck and pulled him upwards until he found himself lifted up off the ground, staring at eyes the color of hellfire. His mind immediately sobered up, at least as much as it could, from the shot of adrenaline. But the world was still blurred, things moving too fast and too slow at the same time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You. You took my brother from me!!!” Apollyon screamed, face mere inches away from his face. Magnus closed his eyes, trying to escape the hot breath and spittle hitting his face. He opened his mouth to retort, but found that he couldn’t get enough breath in his lungs to say anything. He then tried to twist his left hand and call up some magic, but that was futile as well. He wasn’t used to using his left hand for that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, just as abruptly as it started, the pressure ended and Magnus was left on all fours on the ground, coughing and gasping for air. Crashes and yells could be heard all around him, but Magnus was too out of it to really comprehend what was going on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You! You stay away from him.” Alec was yelling at Apollyon as they grappled with each other. This time, he had foregone the use of his arrows to threaten, opting to physically pull him away from Magnus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or what, brother? Are you going to kill me?” Apollyon smirked, confident that Alec would not be able to. He released his arms from Alec’s hold, pushing him away with a sharp kick to the gut. Alec was left heaving, bent over his own stomach. Apollyon turned towards Magnus again, holding out one hand to begin pushing his hell magic into him. Magnus </span>
  <em>
    <span>screamed. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry brother, it’ll be over quickly. No more games. You’ll be free soon enough.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apollyon was distracted. He didn’t see Alec move. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pain bloomed in his chest. He looked down, shock written all over his face as he saw the tip of an arrow protruding out of his chest, right through his heart. He fell backwards, falling into Alec’s arms. He looked up at his brother’s face, eyes filled with betrayal and disbelief. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wh-why?” He coughed, blood bubbling upon his lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec held Apollyon in his arms, as if cradling a precious and fragile thing. Tears had already begun to flow from his eyes, dripping onto Apollyon’s face and neck. “I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry, Polly.” He gasped. “Brother.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apollyon was struggling to breathe, blood filling up his lung cavity, one lung already collapsed from the puncture wound. He spat the blood out, hitting Alec’s cheek. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re a traitor. A traitor! For… for </span>
  <em>
    <span>him.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Disgust colored his face, which was pale and beaded with sweat from the pain. And yet he kept chanting. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Traitor. Traitor. Traitor. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m so sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Alec returned, barely above a whisper, apologies continuing to escape his lips long after there was no longer anyone to hear them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a time, silence once again filled the loft. The air seemed filled with tension, holding back a storm about to break. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Alec let out a hoarse cry. The sound was filled with so much pain that Magnus’s heart broke, the hundredth, thousandth, millionth time in just so many days. He knew he was intruding on a very private moment. He felt guilt rise in his chest, for wishing once, what felt like so long ago now, that he could see Alec angry, sad, in pain, vulnerable. To see </span>
  <em>
    <span>more </span>
  </em>
  <span>of Alec’s life he hadn’t gotten to before. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Be careful what you wish for. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>After a while, Alec’s screams faded into great, heaving sobs, and then into silent tears. Magnus limped over, body wracked with pain and cradling his injured arm in the other. He sat beside Alec, whose arms were still curled around the corpse of his brother. He wanted to reach out to place a comforting hand upon Alec’s shoulder, but couldn’t. He settled for leaning his cheek against Alec’s shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alexander.” Alec did not respond, but he didn’t brush him off either so Magnus stayed, hardly daring to move; to even breathe. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know how long they stayed like that, time moving in odd circles around the both of them; as if it stood still, a single suspended moment meant to stretch into eternity. As if the world could move on, without them in it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, as the sun began to peak over the horizon and the first rays spilled into his loft, Alec spoke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He was my brother.” Alec swallowed. “He was my brother. Sure, I had a lot of them. But after… after the realms closed, there were only a handful of us left here. Most of the others, they either wasted away or weren’t careful enough, were hunted down by the shadowhunters.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He paused. “There’s only me and Izzy now. We’re the only two left in the world, of my siblings. Angels or demons alike. And I. I killed him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His voice was hoarse, and hollow. Magnus wanted so badly to put his arms around Alec to try to comfort him. He waited for Alec to say more, and when it didn’t seem like he was going to, finally opened his mouth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You had to, you had no choice. He wasn’t going to stop. Think of all the lives you’ve saved, Alec. The downworlders, innocent or otherwise. And </span>
  <em>
    <span>me.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Magnus’s voice hitched. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry you had to do this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know that!” Alec cried, angry. “I know that! Don’t you think I know that? But somehow, that doesn’t mean much now. It doesn’t make this; what I did, any better. It didn’t have to be me. Why did it have to be me?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He screamed again, both without and within his mind, at God.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Was this, too, part of your plan?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It had taken him a long time to realize that everything else in his life was engineered; free will was an illusion. The entire rebellion, the fall, and hell. All was part of God’s plan. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Was this, too, part of your plan? </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He had thought that now that he was on Earth, stuck there forever, and living mostly as a human, he could finally be free. Free to </span>
  <em>
    <span>choose, really </span>
  </em>
  <span>choose, his own destiny. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Was this, too, part of your plan? </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus’s eyes felt hot, tears beginning to form in the corners at the raw guilt and pain radiating off of Alec. He felt guilty as well. Why </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>it have to be Alec, Alec who had to face the burden of killing one of his last remaining siblings on Earth. Alec had killed him to save Magnus, who was too weak to save himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rubbed his cheek against Alec’s shoulder again, hoping that it would translate into a comforting motion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell me, please. Tell me how to help. Tell me how to fix this.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is no fixing this.” Alec sighed, wiping at his eyes and only succeeding in painting streaks of blood against his face. “I need to go. I need to talk to Izzy. Make arrangements.” He stood up while Magnus stayed on the floor, looking up at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, please.” Magnus cried. “I-I love you too. And I’m sorry.” He added, voice small but seeming much louder against the silence of the loft. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec looked down at him with his sad, sad eyes, the barest hint of an indulgent smile on his face. “I know, Magnus. I’ve always known.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus looked away, and his cheeks heated up, reminded again now that Alec could see his soul. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Of course, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he’d known. He'd known before Magnus himself did. He could never hide anything from him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you too.” Alec said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Magnus looked up again, any traces that Alec and Apollyon had ever been there were gone, his injuries the only remaining evidence that the entire ordeal had even happened in the first place. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You have reached the voicemail of Alec Lightwood of Lightwood Event Planners. Unfortunately, I can’t come to the phone right now. Please leave a message after the tone or, if urgent, contact my secretary at 574-213-812. Thank you.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus looked up at the tall building in front of him. With its ornate design and its history, the Institute might be one of the most intimidating buildings he’d ever walked into. Especially because this time, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew </span>
  </em>
  <span>he wasn’t invited. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he hadn’t seen nor heard from Alec since that night, over a week ago now, and his worry only grew with every passing day. He’d tried to call numerous times, and left many messages. He’d even called the number provided in the voicemail, but Alec’s secretary, a lovely young lady named Ella, always said that Alec wasn’t available, and hadn’t been in since that night either, citing a death in the family. She didn’t know where he was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Having had enough, Magnus finally decided to search for Alec in person… only to realize, to his own great embarrassment, that he didn’t know where Alec lived. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d had a lot of time to process things over the past week. Deciding that he needed some vacation time after everything that had happened, he’d either cancelled or postponed his client appointments. He’d even cancelled on the weekly lunch he usually attended like clockwork with Luke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>During that time, he was ashamed to realize that he’d never truly ‘forgiven’ Alec for being what he was--a </span>
  <em>
    <span>demon, </span>
  </em>
  <span>a </span>
  <em>
    <span>fallen angel. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He hadn’t stopped to think about it, to </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>wonder. Alec was either all good, or all bad. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they first met, he’d thought of Alec as just another demon. Evil incarnate, just like his father was. When he started getting closer and closer to Alec, to give in to his attraction to the man, he’d convinced himself that Alec was </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span> after all. He wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>a demon, but an (fallen) angel. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had put Alec into a box, at first to distance himself, and then to justify his feelings for the demon to himself. He’d known eventually, but never truly </span>
  <em>
    <span>believed </span>
  </em>
  <span>that Alec was, for all intents and purposes, just another person. A complex tapestry of traits, of quirks, of emotions, of virtues and flaws. A history; a world unto himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t even realized that Alec must actually have his own place, always subconsciously thinking that Alec was only ‘playing’ at being human, like it was a frivolous experiment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was always hard, having to come face to face with one’s own prejudice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So without any other options, he’d decided to come to the institute, remembering that this was where Alec’s sister Izzy worked. He took a deep breath to gather his courage, and entered the great double doors. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Umm. Hello.” The woman behind the desk was on the phone, and didn’t even look up as she raised her index finger towards Magnus, indicating for him to wait. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus wiped his hands against his pants, nervous. What was he going to say to her? Would he look like a stalker? Isabelle too had just lost a brother, would she blame him for it? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he could really spiral into a million ‘what-ifs’, he spotted Isabelle herself walking into the lobby. It seemed that she’d seen him as well, for Isabelle immediately began to head towards him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She leaned in, giving him a hug. Magnus didn’t know what to say. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pulled back and smiled. It didn’t reach all the way to her eyes, but he could detect no anger or spite towards him, just a general sadness to her gaze. He was struck once again by how beautiful she was. Then again, all the angels must be, even the fallen ones. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus sighed. “I’m so sorry about your loss.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.” She said, her smile a little more forced but continuing to remain stubbornly on her face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus was bewildered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t blame me? For your brother’s death?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Isabelle sighed, stepping back a little, rubbing her own arms as if to hug herself. “No, I don’t.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alec… Alec’s always been the eldest of us, the ones left stranded here on Earth. He feels responsible for us, in a way. Apollyon… unlike me and Alec, he’s never managed to adapt to our new reality. It was harder on him, being alone with so few of us left. Two can’t truly make up for the full force of a whole congregation. At first, he’d planned to reopen the channels. We tried as well, helped him, wanting to see the rest of our brethren. But it was impossible. Me and Alec gave up and decided to make the best of it. But Apollyon....” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Isabelle sighed, voice unbearably sad. “I think… I think he planned the downworld rebellion as...” Isabelle shook her head. “I don’t think he planned to survive it himself.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The more she talked, the more guilty Magnus felt, again reminded about the way he’d put Alec and Izzy, and greater demons in general, into convenient little boxes. Alec had told him before, about how he missed his siblings sometimes. But he didn’t truly understand, until now, how truly devastating it had to have been. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry.” He said quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.” She gave him a small smile. “I assume you’ve come here looking for Alec?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He wasn’t in his apartment?” Magnus’s face reddened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Umm. I don’t know where he lives…” Magnus said in a small voice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Isabelle frowned and raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. He knew that she knew exactly why he didn’t despite them having dated for several months, and was just glad that she didn’t actually say anything about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead, she reached into a pocket and took out a ring of keys. She jangled them in his face a bit, and reached out her other hand for him to take. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus held on, and felt the world darken. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>When light filled the world once more, barely a second later, Magnus found himself standing in front of a beautiful ornate door. Isabelle banged on it loudly with her fists.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alec!” She called, before turning to Magnus. Her eyes were intense, gaze boring down right through his soul (in this case, probably literally). “Take care of him, Magnus. Take </span>
  <em>
    <span>better </span>
  </em>
  <span>care of him, or I’ll know.” With one final huff of displeasure, she disappeared, leaving Magnus feeling more alone than ever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A jangling of keys was heard from the other side, and then the door creaked open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Izzy, I told you so many times, why couldn’t you just appear directly in…” Alec looked up, his words trailing off as he spotted Magnus. Alec looked.... Fine. Completely fine, and just as beautiful and stunning as the first time Magnus had laid eyes on him. Magnus began to feel uncertain about himself. If Alec was completely fine, why had he avoided Magnus for so long? But then he realized that even though Alec looked fine, his eyes showed different. He realized, feeling stupid, that of course nothing of Alec’s personal turmoil would actually show on his body. Alec wasn’t mortal after all, wasn’t limited to the failings of the body. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Magnus?” His eyes were uncertain as he took in Magnus’s appearance. “What are you doing here?”</span>
</p><p><span>“I wanted to talk, to see if you were okay. I tried to call but... “</span><span><br/>
</span> <span>“Yeah, I know.” Alec said, voice brittle. Like a simple shove could threaten to make him fall into pieces. </span></p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” Magnus chewed on his lip, the rejection stinging more than he’d expected. But he’d come here for a reason, and he intended to see it through, to not let Alec push him away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I… can I come in?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec looked like he wanted to say no, staying silent for a long time, face filled with indecision. Eventually though, he reluctantly stepped aside, pulling the door open wider to let Magnus in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He led the way inside, and Magnus couldn’t help but look around the room, trying to take everything in at once. It didn’t look at all like he’d imagined it. Actually, he didn’t know what exactly it was he’d expected. A throne room? Perhaps complete with skulls? He brushed the thought away, not wanting to go into another spiral of shame and focused on what he could actually see. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The room was bright and airy, </span>
  <em>
    <span>homely</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Large, patterned windows let in plenty of natural light, casting beautiful shadows on the room. There was a white, plush rug covering most of the living room, and hardwood floors. A flatscreen TV sat facing the doorway, with a beautiful red leather couch placed in front of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the most amazing thing was the walls. They were completely covered by framed images, mostly of weddings. Pictures of smiling strangers stared out at him, looking ridiculously happy, on the best day of their lives. There were several too, of Alec with Izzy. There were a few empty, discolored spaces on the wall that looked like they used to be covered with a framed photograph as well, but was recently taken down. Magnus decided he shouldn’t ask about those. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m making myself a drink. Do you want one?” Magnus turned around, seeing that Alec had walked directly to the mini bar on the far left side of the room. He nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec poured him his drink and walked back over. He gestured Magnus to the couch and sat down beside him, handing one of the glasses to Magnus. They sat in silence, both hyper aware of the ample space they’d left between them, neither one knowing where to start. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So… how are you?” Magnus knew that that was a stupid question to be asking, but he honestly didn’t know where to start. Alec scoffed derisively. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He was my brother, and I killed him. How do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>think</span>
  </em>
  <span> I am?” Magnus looked away guiltily, taking a huge gulp of his drink. He had to cough and blink some tears away, that was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>strong </span>
  </em>
  <span>drink. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec sighed. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no. It’s alright. It was a stupid question.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The conversation stalled again. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why was this so hard? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Magnus thought. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I know…” Magnus gulped. “You don’t need to hear that from me right now. Not after. After what you had to do, to protect me. I just… Thank you, Alec. For saving me. I don’t think I’ve said that yet.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec waved his hand, dismissing the comment and the thanks. “I know.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, please don’t-don’t blame yourself. You had to do it. Not just for me but… For what he was planning to do. You saved so many innocent people, people that would have suffered and died otherwise.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t understand. Magnus, I didn’t do it for those people, no matter what I tried to tell myself.” Alec grimaced. “I’m selfish, I’ve always been selfish. I had a choice, and I chose you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus gaped in shock. His heart pounded heavily against the walls of his chest. It felt like his world had just exploded. He wanted to cry, cry about how he didn’t deserve this. How Alec shouldn’t have done that for him. But… It wasn’t about him right now. He couldn’t make this about him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reached out a hand and placed it on Alec’s shoulder, hoping to provide the comfort he couldn’t offer in words. He wanted to go over and hold Alec in his arms, but didn’t know whether or not he still had the right. They weren’t together anymore (</span>
  <em>
    <span>My fault, my fault,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec took Magnus’s hand from his shoulder, patting it once before placing it on the sofa away from him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Magnus, you should leave. I’ve brought enough complications to your life already. I’m sure you don’t need any more.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus moved closer to Alec on the couch, refusing to be dissuaded now that he’d finally accepted fully, heart and soul, how much Alec felt about him. And how much he felt for him in return.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no please. Don’t think that. And… I admit, that was what I thought, for the longest time. But I was wrong, Merlin I was so wrong.” Magnus said, rubbing his face. “Clary, the nephilim one, may have brought me my magic back. But you Alec, you’ve brought me back </span>
  <em>
    <span>life. </span>
  </em>
  <span>I didn’t know how dead I was, how numb, until you came along. You made me feel like myself again, feel things I haven’t felt in… in centuries. And what did I return? I was so ungrateful, and scared. Trying so hard to keep my heart guarded, that I refused to see you as you are. I refused to see </span>
  <em>
    <span>you. </span>
  </em>
  <span>And I’m so sorry. So, so sorry.” He was crying now, and Alec tried to shush him, to tell him that he didn’t need to say all this. But Magnus raised a hand to stop him, knowing that he needed to get all these words out now. Feeling like nothing he’d ever said before, or in the future, may be as important as these very words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been unkind, and selfish, and I don’t know how you could have just... taken all that and just kept giving me more and more of yourself. Only for me to push you away time and time again. Push you away when I see a side of you I didn’t understand, when you’ve been so accepting, so forgiving, of all that I am.” He took a deep breath. The words were so hard, but he had to be brave now, like Alec had been, throughout the entirety of their now-apparent one-sided relationship. Alec giving, and Magnus only taking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I took you for granted, and I’m ashamed of myself for how I treated you. And I denied, avoided, the fact that I do love you, that I’m in love with you. So… so if you’ll let me, I want to try again. To do better, to make it up to you, to give you as much as you’ve given me and more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus looked up, cat eyes glowing as he shot Alec the most intense gaze, and found that Alec was now crying as well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alexander, I love you. I love you so much. Please, let me be here for you. Let me be here for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec lunged at him, holding him in a tight hug, no longer holding back the sobs that bubbled up from the back of his throat. The tears he’d tried so hard to stop, to ignore, for so long. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you, Magnus. I love you so much.” They held each other tight, never wanting to let go again now that they had finally got each other back after long, long months of being apart. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually though, Magnus pulled back to look into Alec’s eyes, pressing their foreheads together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you, Alexander.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you too.” Alec said with a watery smile. His eyes flickered down to Magnus’s lips before looking back up at his eyes, questioning. Magnus smiled, and closed the gap between their lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The kiss started soft and languid, both just enjoying the feeling of deep, intimate connection between them fully and without any more reservations. They shared in the kiss what they felt they couldn’t fully express in words, all the love, desperation, pain, need, and most of all… relief. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus caressed Alec’s face with one hand, slowly stroking his thumb over his cheekbones. He pulled back, unglamored eyes flicking down to admire Alec’s spit-slick lips. He traced his thumb along Alec’s bottom lip, unable to help himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alexander, let me see you.” He said, looking back up at Alec’s eyes with intent. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec smiled softly, and let the black bleed into his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus took a sharp intake of breath, eyes carefully searching into Alec’s. For what, he did not know. He looked deep into himself, and found that he was no longer afraid. Like this, Alec’s eyes actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>felt </span>
  </em>
  <span>like they were looking into his soul, and almost like they allowed him to look back into Alec’s. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Also, they were kinda </span>
  <em>
    <span>hot</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Magnus felt his face grow heated, and knew that Alec had noticed because he smirked in his signature arrogant look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus reached his hand down to Alec’s chest, fingers hovering just above the first button of his shirt. He hesitated, but Alec didn’t stop him. Magnus began to slowly undress him. Alec’s hands reached up to do the same for Magnus, but Magnus gently pushed his hands away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey. Let me do this, please.” Magnus said, pressing his forehead into Alec’s. “Let me take care of you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec surged forwards to reconnect their lips, moving his hands away from Magnus’s collar and swung his arms around Magnus’s neck. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus returned to slowly undressing Alec. When his shirt was finally off him, he started on Alec’s pants and then moved to start on his own clothes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stood up, letting his pants fall to the floor, and reached out a hand to Alec.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Take me to your bed, Alexander. Let me worship you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec shivered and stood up as well, stepping out of his jeans. He led Magnus to his room and Magnus marvelled over the fact that this was the first time he got to see Alec’s room, the first time they were to make love in Alec’s space. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus gently pushed Alec backwards onto the bed and climbed on top of him. His hands roamed teasingly over Alec’s shoulders and chest, trailing down to circle his nipples. Alec let out a moan. His nipples had always been sensitive. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus reconnected their lips, one hand cupping Alec’s face and the other teasing his nipple. He ground his hips down against Alec’s, and they both groaned in pleasure. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec circled his arms around Magnus’s waist, one hand slipping under the waistband to cup Magnus’s ass and push their bodies closer together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>B</span>
  <span>ut Magnus pulled back instead, and gave Alec’s lips a last little lick before trailing his lips down his jaw, kissing and licking at Alec’s neck. He sucked on the skin, intending to mark it with his presence. A promise that he was never leaving again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He trailed kisses further down, lapping at one nipple and then the next, fingers tracing soft circles on Alec’s hips and dipping into his waistband. He laved attention onto Alec’s chest, teasing and just enjoying the feeling of being together, like this, with Alec again. He bit down a little, knowing that Alec liked a little bit of pain with his pleasure. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Magnus!” Alec gasped, feeling himself get harder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shh, darling. I love you. Let me take care of you.” He palmed Alec’s cock through the cloth of his briefs, teasing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly, he pulled it down, just enough to reveal Alec’s hard length. The waistband of Alec’s briefs rested under his balls, pushing them up. Magnus magicked some lube onto his hands at body temperature and placed it softly around Alec’s shaft, fingers curled around it and thumb lightly circling the underside of the head where his frenum piercings were. He used his other hand to pinch Alec’s nipple, mouth nipping and sucking on the other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec moaned again, bucking his hips up into Magnus’s hand. But Magnus held his hips down with his body, not wanting to end this too soon. Alec whined impatiently, but Magnus continued to go at his soft, slow pace, fingers stroking slowly up and down his shaft. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He bit down on Alec’s nipple, and gave his cock a stronger grip, before releasing it entirely and moving even lower down the bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gave a tentative lick to the tip of Alec’s cock, looking up at Alec through heavy-lidded eyes. The sight of Alec’s dark eyes made him shiver in pleasure, and he felt his cock get harder in his underwear. He ground down into the bed between Alec’s legs, unable to help himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus held the base of Alec’s cock with one hand, the other reaching under to cup his balls. He squeezed, letting a few drops of precum drizzle out. Magnus swirled his tongue over it, tasting the salty bitter flavor and moaned. He licked a long stripe up Alec’s cock and then swirled his tongue over each of Alec’s frenum piercings in the way that they both loved.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He then wrapped his mouth around the head of Alec’s cock and hummed, letting Alec feel the vibrations. Alec moaned again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus reached lower with his lubed up fingers, circling Alec’s hole. He slowly pushed one finger in deep, and crooked his finger up. Alec’s back arched up the bed at the sensation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh darling, Magnus. You’re so beautiful.” Alec panted. He dug his fingers into Magnus’s hair, pulling a bit at the strands. This time it was Magnus’s turn to moan at the brief sharp sting. He was about to pull back, but was now unable to due to the soft pressure on the back of his head. So he let Alec push his head down, let Alec’s cock sink deeper into his mouth, into his throat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec’s hard length reached the back of his throat, and kept going. The feeling of being pressed down on Alec’s cock, out of his control, made heat pool in his belly and he felt his cock harden in his pants. He reached a hand down, stroking at his clothed cock. At the same time, he inserted another finger into Alec’s hole, beginning to rub over his prostate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec arched his back and bucked up into his mouth again, his cock reached further down Magnus’s throat, and held his head there. Magnus felt his eyes begin to water from the strain, throat swallowing convulsively around Alec’s hard length. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he began to feel his lungs strain from the lack of air, he began to thrash his head and Alec finally let him up. His face was a mess, red all down his neck, eyes glazed, saliva dripping from his lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d never been harder in his life. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus quickly dived back in, swirling his tongue around Alec’s acockhead before swallowing down the whole length, going back up and repeating the gesture all over again. He reached his hand beneath the waistband of his pants and grabbed hold of his leaking cock, squeezing the base so he wouldn’t come too soon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec began to writhe uncontrollably. “Magnus, your mouth. It-it’s a fuckin gift.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He bucked up again, grabbing hold of Magnus’s head and began to thrust up in rhythmic motions into the tight heat. Magnus knew he was no longer in control and decided to just enjoy the ride, continuing to rub at Alec’s prostate. He ground his hips down into his hand, following along with the rhythm that Alec had set.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Magnus. I’m going to come.” Alec gasped. A few thrusts later, Magnus felt Alec’s hot seed fill his mouth. Alec pulled his head back, and a few spurts of come painted Magnus’s face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The feeling of hot seed on his face was erotic in a way Magnus couldn’t describe, and it took only a few more thrusts of his own before he was spilling over the edge after Alec. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both lay panting, Magnus resting his head against Alec’s left thigh, nuzzling and nibbling at Alec’s spent cock until Alec pulled his head away by the hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulled Magnus up and licked his own cum off Magnus’s face. Magnus’s cock twitched, but was too tired to go again just yet. They settled in for another soft makeout session, slow and unhurried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus magicked away their underwear and cleaned themselves up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I absolutely love magic.” Alec said. Magnus chuckled into Alec’s lips. “I love you. I’m not going anywhere, never going away again, I promise.” He said as he trailed desperate kisses into Alec's neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you too. Now hush.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus wanted to make a joke about men falling asleep right after ejaculating,even though he knew that he was the one who truly needed to sleep, not Alec. But the thought was sluggish, the words heavy on his tongue. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The emotional exhaustion from months of misery and doubt had finally and truly caught up to them and broken open, the heavy crash of relief overwhelming. Soon, they were both fast asleep. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p><span>Magnus opened his eyes with difficulty. He was glad that he woke first, because there was a lot of gunk in his eyes. He hadn’t taken off any of his makeup from last night, and what with all the crying they both did… he must look a complete damn mess. He flicked his fingers, instantly feeling refreshed. </span><em><span>God I love magic, </span></em><span>he</span> <span>thought, once again wondering what kind of crazy he was to have given it up in the first place. </span></p><p>
  <span>He brushed Alec’s hair out of his face to have a better look at the beautiful man that his whole heart belonged to now. Alec opened his eyes at the touch, sending him a bright smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were just pretending to sleep, weren’t you?” Magnus frowned. He just remembered that technically, Alec didn’t even need to sleep. He must have pretended to just because he knew Magnus would be embarrassed to be seen all messed up in the morning. He wanted to be annoyed, but was mostly touched. Alec knew him so well. Magnus had a long way to go, to watch all of Alec’s habits, to be able to one day know him just as well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was that a rhetorical question?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cheeky brat.” Magnus stuck his tongue out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You love me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes I do.” Magnus said, the words flowing easily from his lips, no longer afraid. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were silent for a while, just enjoying each other’s presence in their lives, each caught up in their own thoughts. Magnus thought about the incredible man in front of him. He had once pondered about whether Alec, a divine being, ever felt human emotions. If he felt anger, pain, and sorrow. They said be careful what you wish for, because he’d finally seen all those things in Alec, and deeply wished he could take it all away. His heart twisted at how much pain the man he loved had had to go through, how much pain they </span>
  <em>
    <span>both </span>
  </em>
  <span>had to go through, to get here. A large part of it was his fault, he knew. But he’d said his piece last night, and knew that vilifying himself further would not help anyone. The only way now was to move forward, always forward. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Penny for your thoughts, babe?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wish you’d stop calling me babe. I’m 400 years old. Hardly a </span>
  <em>
    <span>babe.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Alec chuckled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m millenia old Magnus, you’ll always be a babe to me. Might as well accept it. Also, don’t dodge the question.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus frowned and bit his lip, unsure whether he should ask. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can see you overthinking Magnus. Just ask, I promise the worst that could happen is that I won’t answer.” Alec leaned forward, kissing Magnus’s forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just… Alec, how are you so… so </span>
  <em>
    <span>human?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Izzy explained a bit but… I want to-to try to understand you more fully.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec rolled on to his back and was silent for a bit, but his face didn’t show any irritation or offense. He looked to be thinking deeply, carefully, about what to say in response. So Magnus just waited patiently, giving Alec all the time he needed. He knew what he was asking wasn’t an easy question to answer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, for the longest time, I thought that only darkness laid in the hearts of men. How could I not? It was all I’d ever seen, all I’d ever known. Many of us, we grew angry, hateful, cruel. Why do these wretched things deserve favor? And then must have thrown that favor aside so carelessly, to have ended up where we were. Angels, we were damned for merely questioning. Why was forgiveness something only humans were entitled to? So we took it out on you, instead of who really was to blame.” Alec grimaced bitterly. Magnus moved closer on the bed, and buried his face into Alec’s shoulder, one arm slung over his broad chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So why…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shush babe, just listen.” Magnus glared at him, and even though Alec couldn’t</span>
</p><p>
  <span>have seen it with his position he must have sensed it somehow, and slapped Magnus playfully. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But then I came to Earth. Izzy dragged me here, by the way. She’d been visiting for millenia. Sometimes she came back happy, sometimes angry, sometimes sad.” Magnus opened his mouth to ask why, but Alec covered his mouth with one hand playfully. “Another time. Anyway, she’d been trying to drag me here for ages, and finally, she managed to convince me. Just my luck that I finally relented just as the shadowhunters decided to close the realms for good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was angry, at first. I didn’t want to see, didn’t want to hear. I took it out on many people, on those with souls familiar to me, and souls that weren’t. I just didn’t care. But you can only be angry for so long, before even that got boring. Plus we were supposed to be laying low so I couldn’t exactly go on a rampage.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec’s voice was insecure, hand tight against Magnus’s shoulder, afraid of letting go. Magnus just rubbed Alec’s chest, telling him that he was here to stay. After all, he’d done his fair share of terrible things in his past, and it was time he learnt to accept Alec for who he was, past and all. He was never leaving again. Alec placed a kiss on Magnus’s hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So eventually, I got bored enough to actually start participating in human activities, especially with Izzy. I went to clubs, concerts. Listened to music, tried some different foods. Slowly, I began to really let it all in. And well. You humans are quite amazing, truly. Music, art, culture. You have the capacity to </span>
  <em>
    <span>create </span>
  </em>
  <span>that almost rivals God.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I saw… I saw darkness spread like a plague. Victims of terror and abuse inflicting it on others in a vicious cycle. But I also saw those who despite the heavy burdens they carry, instead chose to pass kindness forward, to pass on light, not wanting others to experience the same kind of pain they did.” Here Alec gazed at Magnus’s eyes, intense. Gazing right into his soul. Magnus felt himself tear up again. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thank Merlin I’m no longer wearing eyeliner. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Magnus thought inappropriately. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I saw joy. I saw love. Humans </span>
  <em>
    <span>care, </span>
  </em>
  <span>so much, about anything and everything. And I wanted that for myself. So I tried to take things more seriously, no longer just playing along to survive, to fit in. The more I did, the more I saw. And some things are ugly, uglier than even I could imagine. But some things… some things were beautiful, almost… sacred. And I wanted that, wanted that for myself.” Alec smiled down at Magnus. “And you, Magnus, are the most beautiful thing of all.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus’s heart was beating loudly by now, touched and so filled with love. He couldn’t resist leaning in to take Alec’s lips in another kiss. The angle was awkward though, so he got up and straddled the man he’d fallen in love with, leaning down to kiss those soft, soft lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alexander, you are the most remarkable person I have ever met in my life. I’m sorry I’ve never allowed myself to see that before. And… there are still some parts of you that I’m struggling with, I’m not going to lie. But I won’t turn away anymore, never again. I’ll stick by you, learn to accept you, all of you, and try not to impose my own views of morality on you. You are who you are, and who you are is perfect.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec’s eyes shined with tears, and he surged up to capture Magnus’s lips in his again. “I love you, God I love you so much.” Magnus kissed back, just as hard. He was finally fully accepting of Alec’s demon nature. Because he was what he was, but he was so much </span>
  <em>
    <span>more </span>
  </em>
  <span>than that, and it was time he stopped getting hung up on those details. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because this? This was bliss, and he was finally beginning to believe that maybe, just maybe, they both deserved it. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Created with all the lava for my amazing amazing liverliest peeps,<br/><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/hayleykat/pseuds/hayleykat">hayleykat</a><br/>(She own my soul. Or at least is on the waitlist because Malec owns my soul first. Hayley can have my heart but she doesn't like the blood)<br/>Brightasstars<br/>NvrLndBoi<br/>EmberRayneStorm<br/>codenamepenguin</p><p>(and the rest of ya'll at Hunters Moon)</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>